


South of Heaven

by Cereza



Series: Wicked Worlds [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural
Genre: Action, Crossover, Drama, F/M, Purgatory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-11-08
Packaged: 2018-02-22 15:50:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 48,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2513276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cereza/pseuds/Cereza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Buffy and Dean meet each other in Purgatory, and when they hear about an exit, they plan to escape. Can they make it? (Hint to a pairing but not the main focus)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This story kinda came out of nowhere, and wouldn't leave my head until I wrote it. It's my first fanfiction for Supernatural, and my first in a long, long time for BtVS. It is most certainly my first cross-over ever. It's set while Dean is in Purgatory, and just after Buffy dies in The Gift, so the time line doesn't match up properly. The only other real inconsistencies with the shows are that Cas was not sent to Purgatory with Dean, and that instead of going to heaven, Buffy went to Purgatory.
> 
> I, of course, do not own anything to do with Supernatural or BtVS. If I did, I'm sure I wouldn't be writing on fanfiction haha.
> 
> I have fallen in love with the Buffy/Dean ship, and while there may be some hinting to a pairing, this is not a love story. The rating is mostly just for precaution more than anything.
> 
> Fandoms: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural  
> Characters Present: Buffy Summers, Dean Winchester, Castiel

**Prologue**  
  
Everything burned: her eyes stung from filth, her muscles from exhaustion. Even her thoughts burned her brain. She could not stop; she must never stop. She had lost track of how long she had been here. Four weeks? Four years? Time moved differently here. It didn't matter now, anyways, not really. Every move she made was decided in the moment. She didn't have a plan. Even if she did, what would she be planning to? There was no end in sight. Evil kept coming at her, from every direction – ceaseless. The landscape sprawled out around her went on forever. It was probably a giant circle, she figured. That would be typical for her life. She had heard whispers of an escape hatch, but that seemed unlikely, and she could not bear to entertain the thought. A plan involving false hope was sure to break her heart. It threatened to break her spirit. If she was going to stay alive, she couldn't allow that. That was the only plan she had, if you could call it a plan: stay alive.  
  
She hadn't made it to heaven, which she always kind of figured would be the case. You can't mess with forces greater than you for that long and remain pure enough to make it to paradise. Part of her always figured that she was barely human anyways, so no, she wasn't surprised when she landed here instead of in front of the pearly gates. She didn't end up in hell either, though. She didn't know what hell looked like per se, but she was pretty sure this wasn't it. Even if hell wasn't actually all fire and brimstone, she figured it would be much worse than where she was. She had heard plenty about other dimensions over the years. Willow, Anya, Giles, they had all talked about them. From what she could tell, she was in Purgatory. Time stood still here. Sure there were days and nights, but they blended into each other so effortlessly that she was often caught off-guard by nightfall. The evil that lurked there was unlike anything she had ever encountered before, it had taken a couple of monsters before she found her footing with them. She had since dispatched a countless number of creatures, and word must be circulating now. More and more things seemed to be stepping up to tango with her. Which was fine with her, she would continue to cut them down.  
  
There was no civilization to be found here, no sanctuary. Sleep was a luxury, and one she could not afford. Short, carefully planned naps were taken periodically so she could keep her strength up. Her slayer stamina and strength had remained intact here, and she knew that was her only saving grace. Her acute hearing had saved her more times than she could keep track of. If this was her reward for being the longest living slayer, it was a pretty shitty reward. She had always figured that in death she would finally be free. No more fighting. No more slaying. That she would finally be able to rest. So much for that dream.  
  
Instead, here she was, wiping some kind of black goo off of her face and pulling dead leaves out of her hair. Some things never changed. What kind of monster explodes into black goo anyways? Darkness had fallen sometime during the battle. It caught her off guard, again, leaving her unprepared. Unprepared? She wasn't even sure what that meant anymore. There was no way to prepare for what may come next. No weapon to train with. No trap to set. No research to do. She was relying on herself in the moment, something that Giles had always trained her to do. Probably would have been good to listen. Really kicking herself for that one. Either way, it was getting dark and she needed to move. For whatever reason, this black goo tended to draw a lot of attention. Attention she did not want. She didn't bother thinking about what direction to run in anymore, as long as it wasn't back the way she came. Picking up her crudely carved staff she ran off towards the closest set of trees in hopes of shielding herself from sight. At least for a little while.  
  
As far as forests went, the ones she had encountered so far seemed to be just as dark and warped as the monsters she had been fighting. The trees twisted in unnatural ways, creating an image of tendrils wrapping around her as she bolted between them. The roots jutted up through the hard ground sporadically, and if she wasn't careful she would catch her foot on one. She had fallen a few times, leaving new marks on her face and ripping what was left of her shoes. She did not look forward to the day that the last bit of the shoes gave way. Barefoot in this world was less than appealing. There were vines that hung down from the trees, many covered with thorns big enough to take out an eye if she wasn't careful. Even during the day these woods were nearly impossible to make your way through, and at night they were like darkness incarnate. She had always been able to see well in the dark, another perk of being the slayer she supposed, but being here her night vision improved vastly. The woods may not be what you could consider "safe," but come nightfall, it was her best option for survival.  
  
During the day she never stopped moving, but even with her vision capabilities in the dark, it was safer to try and find a safe spot to stay during the night. Even if she didn't get to sleep much, it was nice to sit in one place for a while. Buffy made her way through the wooded area, looking for a spot that seemed more secluded than the rest of her path. Once she came upon a spot that she felt would do, she would take the time to check the immediate area surrounding it, just to make sure there was nothing lurking in the shadows. Her crude staff was kept close just in case, but once she found no immediate threat, she would let her guard down enough that she would sit down. Leaning against a tree so that her back wasn't exposed, she would rest.


	2. Out of Darkness

**Chapter One - Out Of The Darkness**  
  
Buffy had just closed her eyes when she heard the sound of a branch snapping. Her eyes flew open, darting in every direction as she sprung to her feet, trying to pinpoint the cause of the sound. She had sat against the tree for several hours before deciding that she should be safe enough to hazard a quick nap. In that time she hadn't heard a sound, hadn't seen a thing. She figured she was safe. Safe may be a relative term in this world, but she was safer here than her previous rest stop. Buffy's eyes narrowed looking in the direction she was sure the sound had come from. The smell of death and decay filtered into her nose, whatever had interrupted her attempt at sleep was close. Buffy paused, holding her breath she remained perfectly still. If she was lucky she'd be able to anticipate the creature's first move. If she was really lucky, then maybe she'd be able to go unnoticed.  
  
She stood there, unmoving for an insufferable amount of time, the only sound she heard was the sound of her own beating heart. She wanted to believe that the threat had passed, but her time in this world had taught her otherwise. Buffy could picture whatever this monster was sitting just out of sight. Watching her as she watched for it. Looking for a weakness, planning it's attack. That was the thing about the monsters in this world: they were intelligent and they were patient. This made them exceptionally deadly, and they had all the time in the world.  
  
The slayer decided that this stalemate had gone on long enough. Her legs ached from standing still, and her exhaustion was beginning to blur her vision. It was evident she couldn't stay here, Buffy needed to make a choice, and soon. Fight or flight. Even just the idea of holding her ground and battling whatever was in the forest with her was grueling. The chances of her winning were slim at best, and this world had a nasty habit of throwing something new at her each time she grew accustomed to dispatching the latest feature creature. Her choice become obvious rather quickly: she had to run.  
  
Just as her decision was made, she heard another branch snap, this time from a different direction. She paused. It was as though this thing had predicted her next course of action. Buffy's eyes scanned carefully for some clue to the monster's whereabouts, but yielded no results. She thought she had the general direction correct until she heard the rustling of dead leaves behind her. Buffy snarled, this thing was playing with her, like she was a mouse in a cage. The evil that lurked here was certainly not like what she had come up against back home, these ones were not afraid of her. These monsters here had not learned that she was what the stuff of nightmares feared. Not yet, anyways. Shoving her fatigue aside, the slayer side of Buffy took over. Time to show this creature what it was dealing with.  
  
Buffy closed her eyes once more, she slowed her breathing, instinct taking over. No doubt the monster had watched her inspect the site she had stopped in, it would have seen her brandishing her makeshift staff using her right hand. It would attack on her left, thinking that was her weak spot. That or it would drop on her from above. Buffy readied herself for both, but the enemy did not attack. It was still out there, the smell of decay closer now, and she could hear it's raspy breathing. Suddenly, she felt a sharp jab to her right side that caused her to double over. In that split second Buffy couldn't decide if the enemy had been smart enough to know what attack she anticipated, or stupid enough to attack her dominant side. Either way, the creature had succeeded in throwing Buffy off, a deep gash in her side as it's reward. She countered quickly, but clumsily as blood poured from her side. She rolled away from the creature, squaring against it. She was right, she had not yet fought one like this. Dread washed over her. Did she have enough momentum for this? She didn't have time to entertain her doubt as the thing's tail whipped over it's head, casting a number of blade-like thorns at her. No time to dodge, her best option was to deflect. Buffy quickly discovered that these flying spikes were not as similar to knives as she had expected. Her flattened palm did nothing to repel the attack, instead absorbing the thorns as though she had grabbed for them. Her reaction was slow, drowsiness still gripping her body, and with no real plan presenting itself, her only move was to dodge and roll. Hoping to find some sort of weakness in the enemy's armored shell. It's neck was thin, like something you'd expect to see on some sort of insect. Easy to snap, if only she could get close enough. The large monster was not particularly fast in it's movements, but it's tail flicked around relentlessly, making an approach nearly impossible. She needed to begin her assault from a distance, something that could throw it off-kilter like it had done to her. Her eyes swept for her staff. It wasn't much, she had broken it from a tree and sharpened the ends with a rock, but it was long and sharp. It would have to do. Detecting the weapon leaned against a tree, her confidence faltered. She had to get beyond the creature and it's sweeping tail.  
  
The two stared at each other, both awaiting the other one's next move. The way she leaned to her right side, nursing the bloody wound paired with her slower dodge and rolls were her tell. It knew she was tired, and it took pleasure in knowing it had already won. It tired of the game, and upon her next crouch the monster bore down on her, expecting her to roll once more. The creature had misinterpreted her movement, however, as Buffy lept up to grab onto one of the vines, the thorns digging into her already lacerated palms. She soared over top of the creature, narrowly missing it's claws, catching her back on it's barbed tail. She ignored the stinging sensation as she came to a rolling landing mere inches from her staff. Expecting that the thing was still trying to recover from her unexpected movement, Buffy spun around quickly, launching the staff towards it's lumbering target. The staff pierced through the thin neck with a sick gnawing sound. It did not make it all the way through it's target however, much to Buffy's dismay. She concluded that either the end wasn't sharp enough to cut through effectively, or the thing's armour was stronger than anticipated. The projectile may not have accomplished what Buffy had meant to do, but it still caused some damage. The creature's claws could not grasp onto the wood sticking through it's neck; it could not remove it. With the split second of distraction, the tail stopped swishing, and Buffy seized her opportunity. She dashed to clear the gap between the two opponents, and launched up to grab hold of the weapon she had plunged into it's neck. With one hand on each side of the staff, she twisted until she heard the crack of it's neck, and did not stop until she succeeded in twisting it's head clean off of it's body.  
  
Buffy fell to the ground, landing on her knees, physically spent and covered in her own blood. She knew she had to get moving, more creatures were sure to find her soon. It had been nothing short of remarkable that she had been able to triumph in this battle, she did not want to push her luck in another. The slayer pulled herself to her feet, wincing and panting as she went. Placing her foot on the thing's head she ripped her staff free and shook the black goo from it. She tilted her head back, taking a deep breath in, and allowed a moment of relief to wash over her. She survived. The moment of joy was a mistake, and this world made sure she knew that. A tendril crept up from the ground and wrapped around Buffy's legs, trapping her. A second creature, the same as she just defeated, rose from the ground, tail firmly grasping her. She must break free. Avoiding it's mashing teeth, Buffy swung her fists as hard she could muster at the thing's face. Her momentum threw her off balance, and still entwined in the creature's tail, she hit the ground. This was the last position she wanted to be in. The monster took advantage of her compromised position and descended on her, it's warm breath beating down on her face. Dirt and gravel that she had grabbed quickly assaulted the thing's eyes and he sat up, howling in pain. It's tail loosened just enough for Buffy to break free. She wasted no time in grabbing her staff and then bolting off in whatever direction was away from this thing.  
  
She crashed through the trees, not worrying about the amount of noise she created. She would worry about being stealthy afterwards, right now she needed to put as much distance between herself and that thing as she could manage.  
  
Eventually her pace slowed, and she spent some time doubling back in hopes of keeping the evil off her scent. When she felt satisfied that there was a decent amount of distance, Buffy paused to catch her breath. That thing had rose from below her. The ground could not be trusted. It was not safe. Buffy already knew she could not seek refuge in the trees. She had seen eyes peering out from the branches and leaves, somehow darker than the night already was. Now that she knew the ground was also inhabited, she didn't know what her next move could be. She could not rest above or below. There were lakes here. She had stopped at a few to re-hydrate and to wash blood and wounds. Maybe she could fashion some sort of raft. Move through the terrain that way, resting far from the shore line.  
  
She thought about a way she could do so. If she worked hard enough she could rip down some of the larger branches off of the trees. Maybe use a rock to break the thorns off of some vines, use those to tie the branches together. It was going to be a lot of work; she didn't even know if the water was safe. The idea of wasting time and energy on a flawed plan did not thrill her, and as such she figured that she needed to test a lake. The time that she had spent near the ones she had passed previously seemed quiet enough, but who knew what lurked beneath the surface? It was dark still, and her newly acquired wounds still throbbed. She wouldn't be able to fight off another attack tonight; finding a lake would have to wait until morning.


	3. Fair Exchange

**Chapter Two - Fair Exchange**  
  
Buffy was grateful when the sun finally rose. While it made her much more visible to the creatures that inhabited this world, it also made them more visible to her. Sleep had been an issue throughout the rest of the night, as were her wounds which were now caked with blood and grime. Emerging from the woods, Buffy's first move was to find a body of water. Figuring that, because she hadn't passed one in a few days, her best bet was to continue moving in the same direction she had been the previous day. At least, that was the direction she thought she chose. Her sense of direction had been pretty sub-par even in her own world, but here everything looked the same. In all honesty, she just picked a direction and hoped for the best. Giles would be appalled.  
  
Much to her surprise, and a pleasant one at that, Buffy had been relatively close to a lake that night. She had learned, though, to stake out the shoreline for a while before approaching it. Most of the monsters here did not need water, but were smart enough to know that other things, herself included, did. They lurked nearby, usually in the trees, watching and waiting for easy prey. Buffy moved through the brush, eyes and ears tuned to find any sort of threat that may be present. Nothing presented itself. When she felt sure that she was alone in the area, she moved towards the water, eyes flashing all around her just in case. She carefully crouched down by the water, still feeling the after effects from her tussle the night before. Her accelerated healing process was taking its sweet time kicking in. Most wounds had been healing quickly, just as they always had. Her side didn't seem to be enjoying the same perk. The agony she felt radiating from the gash in her side was nearly unbearable. She was reminded of when she took her own stake to her stomach. If she had known she'd be dumped in a place like this, she would have brought some disinfectant. Despite the displeasure she took in her current circumstances, the cold water running between her fingertips was an indescribable joy at the moment. How could something so pure, so beautiful, exist in this world? Everything else seemed to be tainted, and yet these lakes appeared untouched. The water was still, serene, like glass.  
  
Taking one more glance around the area, Buffy saw nothing. While she didn't believe for a second that she was alone, nothing seemed to be making a move on her. The usual vampires were lurking around, but she knew none would risk their lives to attack her. She wouldn't let her guard down, but maybe she could take a small pleasure here. A small smile stretched across her face as she set her shoes to the side, not wanting them to take any extra wear yet, and dipped her toes into the water. It was the simple pleasures that she missed from home. Sleeping in a bed. Brushing her teeth. Making coffee. Taking a shower. As much as she wanted to take a dip in the lake, she knew she shouldn't. It might not be safe, and the idea of having to wear wet clothes afterwards did not exactly thrill her. She'd have to settle for her feet in the lake as she observed. She was paying close attention, so she felt like she could afford at least a little joy.

  
ӁӁӁ

  
Another cough racked his body as the dehydration became too much for him. What he wouldn't give for a drink of water right about now. He had been walking for miles now, not really sure what he was walking towards. Not sure where he was walking from. The only reason he kept moving was simply because his survival instincts willed him to do so. His vision was blurring now, his fatigue and thirst wearing on him. Dean wasn't even entirely sure where he was, but he knew he wasn't in his own world anymore. This world was dark, ugly, and violent. The things that inhabited this place would tear him to shreds if he let his guard down, that much he knew. His gun may have been left behind, but his knife was still firmly attached to his belt, and he was thankful for that. Dean wasn't sure what happened, how he got here, but now that he was here, he had to figure out his next step. All he knew was that he had to get back to Sammy. He had to survive and fight his way back. There was no other option. The only hope that had kept him alive so far was that Sam was back home, safe and sound, and not also lost wandering around this place. He couldn't take it if his brother was here too.  
  
He had been walking for hours. He was weakening. The sun was too hot, and his need for water was becoming critical. Dean's foot caught on something on the ground and he fell to his knees. He wasn't even sure what he caught his foot on, nothing appeared to be there, but he was too weak to hold his balance. It must be delirium settling in, as he was almost certain that it felt like a hand grabbing onto him. He sat there for a while, the hard ground seemingly holding him in place, and he was close to admitting defeat until he saw something on the horizon. Dean squinted his eyes against the intense sun. It wasn't overly bright, but compared to the darkness that loomed around him, it was hard to see against. When his eyes finally adjusted a large, albeit dazed, smile broke out across his face. He shook his head, wanting to make sure it wasn't a mirage. That he was actually seeing this. How he crossed the space between it and him, he didn't remember. Dean wasn't sure that what he was seeing was real, even when his hands were running through the cold water. He filled his hands with water, brought them up to his face, and doused himself. Dean let his head hang back, looking up to the sky. With a deep exhale he almost allowed himself to panic again. What had he gotten himself into now? Could he really go on like this? No direction. No hope. He almost settled into his own despair until he caught something in the corner of his eye. Confusion plastered across his face. A pair of shoes?  
  
Taking a quick glance around to ensure that he was alone, Dean walked over to the shoes. They were tattered and torn, obviously they had been in this world for quite some time. Despite their rough look, the shoes were somehow still delicate. Small. They were obviously a woman's pair of sneakers. Another time, another place, Dean would be frantically searching the water for a girl in distress. Saving people is what he did, but this was different. The name of the game was survival. Besides, by the looks of those shoes, Dean didn't expect that their owner was still alive. She had probably been monster food a long time ago. Next to the shoes was something of interest, though. A staff. It was crude, and obviously hadn't helped this chick much, but with his knife he could fix it up. Anything could help at this point, and it would feel good to have another item to protect himself with. Not like he was taking it from the hands of someone who needed it. Just as his hand set down on the make shift weapon, he felt a blade poke into the back of his neck.  
  
"Didn't anyone ever tell ya it's not nice to take other kids' toys?"  
  
Instinctively, Dean went to grab his knife.  
  
"Uh, uh, uh," the knife pushed a touch further into his neck, just enough to draw a drop of blood, "let's just stay still. Plus, I'm pretty sure you're looking for this little number anyways."  
  
It was true, he could feel how much lighter his knife's holster was. The irony was not lost on Dean, "What, did no one tell you," he stressed the word you, "not to take other kids' toys?" He rolled his eyes mentally,  _great comeback_. "It's alright, I don't need it to take you down."  
  
"Pretty tough talk there, for something with a knife at it's neck," Buffy regarded the knife, "pretty nice blade though, so thanks for that."  
  
"Oh sweetheart, don't thank me yet."  
  
He moved fast. Whatever kind of hell-bitch was holding him in place had to be pretty bad ass. What else could manage not only to sneak up on him, but take his blade without him knowing? His shoulders dropped and swiveled while his arms came up. One arm to disarm his unseen opponent, and the other to deliver a jab to her side. Unfortunately for Dean, Buffy had been training with Giles since she was sixteen, and he had done the same move hundreds of times and was able to prevent him from disarming her. Unfortunately for Buffy, Dean managed to jab her right in her wound, allowing him to get himself to his feet. The pain radiated through her entire body, and she struggled to not react to his attack. Even if it had gotten one up on her, she couldn't allow it to see that it had succeeded in hurting her. She straightened up, holding to her strong stance. The two were standing face to face now, both trying to hide their fatigue from the other. Both trying to be on the offensive and the defensive. Neither sure what the other would try now.  
  
"Nice try, but I can't help but notice I still have the blade. Was that part of your plan?" She smirked.  
  
Dean took note of the blood seeping through her shirt. New blood. He didn't cause that wound, but he had managed to find one. He knew she was favouring one side. The look of the blood caught him off guard though. He hadn't fought much while he had been here, but he fought enough to know that the things here? Bleed black ooze. He had seen other colours too, but not one had red blood. Everything about this chick screamed hell-bitch. No way a little slip of a girl like her could have survived here, let alone be strong enough to prevent him from disarming her. That red blood, though, screamed human.  
  
"Are you human?" He asked, failing to hide his bewilderment. What he wouldn't give for some salt, or to get close enough with his silver ring.  
  
Buffy held the knife forward to further keep this creature at a distance. "Mostly," a sick smile playing at the corner of her lips, "now tell me, what kinda thing are you?"


	4. Kicked in The Teeth

**Chapter Three – Kicked in the Teeth**  
  
Dean's eyes wanted to dip down to focus on the glint of the knife, but he knew better than that. He kept his gaze locked with the petite blonde's, not allowing a weakness to show. He had been training for most of his life, and he had taken down bigger and badder demons than this one, whatever she was. He was not afraid. He was also smart enough to know he shouldn't underestimate her. She had been able to sneak up on him, and despite the obvious wound she had, she was still standing.  
  
"Mostly? What's that supposed to mean? Newsflash – being human once does not count as being "mostly" human."  
  
"Answer my question," Buffy demanded, tightening her grip on the blade.  
  
The two of them had been circling, slowly closing the gap between them, both waiting to move into an offensive or a defensive position. Now they were less than an arm's length away. It suddenly dawned on Buffy that the air didn't smell of the death and decay she had become accustomed to smelling while going head to head against the creatures that lived here. What's more, her slayer senses weren't setting off alarms in her head. This thing hadn't sensed her presence, and it had been more focused on her staff than finding her. There were plenty of clues, but it was the glint in his eyes that gave him away; this foe was human. Another human here? She couldn't believe it.  
  
Before Buffy could ask him if he was, in fact, human, he lunged forward at her, coming in low to knock her off balance. Dean wasn't expecting the small girl to be able to react; he wasn't expecting any sort of counter attack. He figured that he could knock her off her feet and wrestle his knife from her hands. It would be a quick move and he would be able to gain the upper hand. It would be easier to take her down once he got his blade back. If this had been any person other than Buffy, his maneuver probably would have worked, but he didn't know that he was up against the slayer. He couldn't take her strength, training, and reflexes into account. She was temporarily caught off-guard, but not long enough for Dean to succeed. Buffy allowed herself to hit the ground, but was unable to bring the blade down on her assailant. Instead, she used his momentum to roll them so that Dean sailed over top of her. Buffy kicked back up onto her feet and spun around to face the man who was now lying stunned on the ground. She placed her foot in between in his legs, putting herself in a controlling position, and looked down at the man. That was much too easy for him to be a supernatural being of any sort. Her suspicions were confirmed. He had to be human. That of course, brought on more questions than she had had before.  
  
"Well now, that wasn't very nice. I thought we were having a nice conversation," Buffy tensed her foot, "now stay still and this won't end with your boys being crushed. Are we clear?" Dean huffed. "Good," Buffy relaxed her foot slightly, "Now, what is a human doing in a place like this?"  
  
"I don't even know what this place is." His head was spinning, he had taken a nasty hit in the toss. She was stronger than she looked, and all he could hope was that he wasn't concussed.  
  
She raised her eyebrow and scoffed, "Welcome to Purgatory."  
  
With eyes wide Dean stammered, "Wait, what?" His blood ran cold at her words, and he slumped in defeat.  
  
All the fight evaporated from him, and the devastation from her words were obvious. Buffy's shoulders relaxed; he was hardly a threat before, but now he seemed to have lost all incentive to brawl. She removed her foot from its aggressive position and offered her hand to the man. He hesitated, obviously unsure of her intent, but begrudgingly accepted her help. Buffy hauled the man to his feet and stepped back. While she felt like the fight was out of him, she still didn't want to be within striking distance. She had learned many times that, just because it appeared the fight was over, didn't mean it was. She would never assume she had won until her foe lay dead. Even then it could continue, really. What a life she lived…  
  
Dean dusted himself off and ran his fingers through his hair, exhaling a breath that he didn't realize he had been holding. Man his head killed.  
  
"You really didn't know, huh? Sorry to be the messenger. How long ya been here?"  
  
"Few days, maybe a week. I've kinda lost track. You?"  
  
"Longer." Her voice shook with her answer.  
  
"You've got some moves, sweetheart. I'm impressed."  
  
"Yeah, well, you're lucky I realized you're human. Coulda killed you otherwise."  
  
"You would have tried"  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes, "Yeah, sure, whatever. Look, we've been here too long as it is, and we're losing daylight. So you're gonna go off that way, and I'm gonna go my own way. Capiche?"  
  
"What, you don't wanna team up and ride my coat tails? I'm shocked," Dean's words dripping with sarcasm and feigning offense.  
  
"Look, no offense, or offense – I really don't care, but I'm not a babysitter. I don't need you following me around like some puppy. I'm not gonna be watching out for anyone but myself here."  
  
"You think you need to babysit me? Well that's rich. Whatever sweetheart, your funeral. I am just fine without having to worry about some chick who thinks she's tough. So I'll just be taking my knife and be on my way then." His hand outstretched to her.  
  
Buffy laughed, "Aw, that's cute. This here," she indicated the blade in her hand, "is mine now. I'd apologize, but I'd be lying. Good luck, pal." In normal circumstances she would never take another person's weapon, but this was not normal circumstances. Her protective instincts were screaming at her, but she needed to ignore them. Her own survival was all that mattered now.  
  
Dean moved to argue, but his throbbing head warned against it. His shoulders slumped, "Well that's fucking great. Ya know what, you probably need it more than I would anyways. I'll lift it from your corpse later. See ya 'round, sweetheart." Dean sardonically saluted Buffy as he turned to go.  
  
A twinge of guilt shot through her chest.  _Damnit_. "Hey!"  
  
The man paused and looked back expectantly at her.  
  
"Be careful of the ground. The things that live here...they can hide there."  
  
Dean rolled his eyes, "Yeah, thanks. I'm sure I'll be fine."  
  
Buffy waited until the man was out of her sight before relaxing her stance. She smiled down at her new blade. This piece was gonna make all the difference.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
"Fucking blonde bitch," Dean seethed as he stalked off.  
  
This little girl not only took his knife, but thought that he was a child that needed to be babysat! Unbelievable. If nothing else, he beat his dehydration, and that was at least a victory. What the hell was he going to do without that knife though? He could fight just fine, but with exhaustion settling in he wasn't sure how long he would be able to battle whatever this place threw at him. That was another thing, she had called this place Purgatory. If she was right, that did not bode well for him. He had never heard anything good about Purgatory. The things that inhabited Purgatory were nasty, and they were definitely stronger than he. This is a place that even monsters feared.  
  
Right now though, he needed to worry about something else. She had warned him that the ground wasn't safe. He wasn't sure what that meant exactly, he hadn't seen anything come up from the ground, but he was inclined to believe her, and that was not good. Remembering when he fell to the ground earlier he wondered if that was what happened. Maybe he hadn't have been as out of it as he had thought. So how he was going to protect himself from an unseen foe without a weapon and being bogged down by exhaustion? Physically he was fighting out of his league, and he knew it. Putting his pride aside, Dean realized that keeping his head down and sticking to the shadows was going to be the best way to survive. At least until he came up with a solid plan.  
  
His plan was so far still in the rough stages. As in he had step one: don't die. He also had his end game plan: get home, get back to Sammy. The in-between stuff? That was the tricky part. He knew he had to survive, and he knew that he had to find a way to do so until he could find his way out, but that was all he had. It was Sammy, Bobby, or even Cas that came up with their plans in situations like this. Dean was the muscle, and he knew it. How could he come up with a plan when he didn't even know if there was a way to get out? In all the time he had heard Cas talk about this place, in all the time Crowley had talked about finding the way in, he never heard of them talking about a way back out. It stood to reason that it wouldn't be built with an exit. No way should the things that were harboured here be given even a minute chance of escaping. It was entirely possible that he would be stuck here forever.  
  
He didn't have time to dwell on the loss of his weapon, and he didn't have time for a pity party while he missed his brother or worried about being trapped. No, Dean had to get moving. Where to, he didn't know, but he did know he needed to put as much distance between himself and the blonde bitch as he could. She was killer strong, obviously tough enough to survive here, and now she had a blade. Dean wasn't stupid, he didn't need to cross that again. The sky was getting darker, and it wouldn't be long until it was nightfall, the blonde had been right about that as well. If the ground wasn't safe, then Dean had to find somewhere he could camp out. He needed sleep desperately, even if it was only a couple of hours. Dean paused, taking a quick look around. Upon seeing some woods up ahead, he set off in that direction, hoping that there would be a tree or a cave that he could hide in for the night. Sleep could be dangerous, but he knew that a lack of sleep could be equally as dangerous to his survival. It was a risk that he would have to take.


	5. Crossfire

**Chapter Four - Crossfire**  
  
The feeling of falling woke Buffy to a start. She threw her arms out to her side to brace herself, but when her hands hit wood she realized that she was safe. She was floating on a raft in Purgatory, not exactly safe, but she was not falling from a tower towards concrete, and that was good enough for her. It took her several minutes to slow her breathing down, but once the panic subsided it was replaced with joy. Or at least the closest thing to joy she had felt since landing here. Her little make-shift raft worked exactly how she had hoped it would. The water had been still all night, and she had actually got to sleep for most of the night. All things considered, Buffy was feeling great. The knife she had acquired the day before had made the crafting of her platform much easier than it would have been otherwise.   
  
Remembering the blade sent a familiar pang of guilt through her. She was the slayer, she was supposed to protect people, not send them to their death. Without a weapon or help, he would have been lucky to survive the night. A rush of thoughts hit her head. She should try to find him. At least make sure he was okay. Maybe keep close to him for a while, protect him. At the very least return his blade to him so he stood a chance. The guilt was about to become overwhelming until she realized she had been right. She  **was**  the slayer. But here? As far as she was concerned she was retired. Didn't exactly get a gold watch for her years of excellent service, but hey, ya can't win 'em all. It was no longer her job to make sure that whoever that guy was survived. It didn't really make her feel any better, but it would have to do.   
  
With that thought, Buffy grabbed the branch she had used as a paddle, and made her way back to shore. The water may have been safe so far, but she didn't want to risk anything seeing her out there. Especially not if she wanted to continue to use the lakes at night. If it continued like this, she saw no reason for her not to. The alertness with which she was able to process her surroundings and her thoughts was enough to convince her that the water was the best way to spend the dark nights.  
  
As Buffy was pulling the raft out of the water, a thought dawned on her. Now what? The idea of lugging this platform around with her all day did not thrill her in the least. Leaving it here would be fine, but then she'd had to return to this lake each night. That was also less than ideal. Staying in one general vicinity was a good way to be found by the creatures, and getting lost was a real possibility. Building a new one each night was doable, and she could only assume she would get faster at it, but it was still a lot of work. It would tire her out considerably, and if she wasn't careful, she could be caught by nightfall long before she finished. Buffy sighed, she had not thought this entirely through.

  
ӁӁӁ

The warning about the ground turned out to be one hundred percent true, but you think she would have taken a second to warn him about what hid in the trees. Dean had figured that he could find a half decent branch to rest on and catch a few z's. Had he ever been wrong. He had no sooner closed his eyes before he felt a branch wrap tightly around him and squeeze.   
  
Whatever kind of monster was in the trees with him, it was able to take on the appearance of the tree itself. It was a miracle that he had been able to wrestle his way free. To be honest, he wasn't even sure how he had managed to do so, but he was sure it involved a lot of cussing and flailing. He had tried to run, recognizing how tired his body was and knowing that a fight would end poorly for him. He had failed on that front. He had almost failed in surviving the battle completely. The monster was strong, too strong. If Dean was being honest, he got lucky. He had spent much of the tussle dodging and rolling away from the creature's blows. In the process he had gained a new gash on his shin, across his back, and on the side of his neck. Luck intervened when he managed to dodge an attack and the creature got caught up in one of the low hanging vines. Dean took that opportunity immediately, tightening the vine around it's throat until the creature stopped struggling, and then bashing it's head in with a nearby rock. It was hard to call that one a win, and he knew it. He had to be more careful.  
  
He also knew from his short time here that one dead thing usually attracted other things that needed to be dead. He had to move. There was no time to tend to his wounds, but he figured if he could find some water again he could at very least clean them out and beat the dehydration that was settling in. Not really sure what direction he would find water in, Dean did a quick and childish game of "eenie-meenie-minie-moe" and stalked off in a vague direction, hoping against all reason that he would find water soon. Hoping more so that this water he hoped to find would be minus one blonde chick. He didn't feel like fighting her too, but he was pissed off enough that he may enjoy another go at her.  
  
Imagine his surprise when he did find a lake less than an hour later. He hoped he wouldn't regret thinking that luck was on his side today. Or at least as much luck can be on his side in a place like this. This time Dean felt comfortable enough to take his time, and there were no weird chick shoes to draw his attention away. No annoying blondes, either. So that was a huge check in the win column as far as he was concerned. Dean spent a little more time at the small lake than he should have, but since nothing had bothered him there, he felt like it was probably okay.   
  
What was not okay was not knowing what he was going to do. Until he could figure out how the hell to get out of this place, he needed to find a way to not only defend himself, but find a way he could sleep. He revisited the idea of a cave. Maybe he could build some sort of wall around it and hide there during the nights? It wasn't a very promising plan, but it was something. Some sense of normality in this strange world could be nothing but good. Satisfied that he had made a decision, however shaky it was, Dean got a move on, being mindful of the gash in his shin that had yet to stop bleeding.  
  
Unfortunately, this time he was not as lucky. He didn't find another set of dense woods for hours, and even then, he didn't find any spots that seemed defensible. Dean felt totally lost. This must be what it's like to be a ghost in the real world. Never being sure where you are, or what you're doing. Feeling that no matter what you do, you're making no progress. The feeling weighed heavy on Dean, and it threatened to derail whatever progress he had been making. He wandered for hours, and it was suddenly that he realized that his greatest fear was coming true. It was beginning to get dark again, and he had not found somewhere to stay safe for the night, nor had he found water since the morning. Desperation created a pressure on Dean, driving him to move faster. He could not be caught out in the open like this when it fell dark.  
  
It was then that he heard what sounded like a pack of monsters. Fuck. He could barely handle one earlier, what was he going to do with a group of them? He quickly darted behind a nearby tree and used it as cover while he looked around, trying to discern where the noises were coming from. He had fully intended to run in the opposite direction, forgetting his hunter's pride again. That was until he heard the sounds of a scuffle. Dean let his curiosity beat out his decision to run, and although he was sure he would regret this, if he lived long enough anyways, he headed off in the direction of the fight.  
  
He found four creatures circling around, and two dead on the ground. Whatever they were fighting had cut their numbers, but was definitely not going to survive this fight. One of the things were favouring it's leg as it moved, suggesting that it was injured. Even with that in consideration, the things were still stronger and probably outnumbered whatever prey they had found. Dean figured that whatever was strong enough to take down two of these things was something that he did not want to meet, and he certainly did not want to be here long enough to be discovered by the creatures when they finished with whatever they were toying with. No matter who won the battle, he figured he would lose to them if he stuck around. He hadn't been seen yet, and that was a miracle, and one he was not about to overlook.   
  
He was about to turn to go when something caught his eye. A figure flipped over one of the monsters and rolled away from the center. It happened so fast that he would have missed the movement if it hadn't been for the flash of blonde hair that seemed to shine as a beacon.  
  
" _You have got to be kidding me,"_ Dean thought to himself,  _"That little thing took down two of these?"_  
  
He would have thought it was his eyes playing tricks on him if he hadn't seen her slip in and out of sight again. The blonde chick from the other day was fighting these monsters, and she was holding her own. He watched her flip over one of the things, kick off another to get some extra height, and drive a knife deep into the first creature she had flipped over. It fell to the ground, dead. She was spry, he'd give her that, but he could see the fatigue wearing her down. She took a nasty hit from one of the creature's talons, causing her to lose grip on the knife. His knife. In the real world, he would be running to help her, but here? Forget it, he was focused on keeping his own ass alive, not anyone else's. Especially not some bitch who stole HIS knife.   
  
He figured he would simply hide in a nearby tree, keeping his eyes open for another sneak attack while he was there. He would simply wait for these things to kill her, and once they were finished picking her apart, he would go collect his knife. That would make his survival much easier. He winced at how cruel that sounded, knowing that as a hunter he had set out to save people. Dean wasn't sure what hurt more, the fact that he was preventing himself from helping someone who needed it, or that this is what this world required of him to survive. Regardless, he knew that he couldn't go help her, not if he wanted to make it home alive, and that was all that mattered to him now.  
  
Shaking out of his thoughts, Dean was just about to make a move towards the closest tree that was climbable and would suffice as cover when one of the creatures turned and looked directly at him. So much for luck today.


	6. Die Hard The Hunter

**Chapter Five – Die Hard The Hunter**  
  
She had taken down three of these creatures now, but there was still three to go, and she was tired. God was she tired. The damage that had been done over the last few days was healing, but slowly. Even her slayer healing was unable to completely help her here. Buffy pushed the dread aside. If she was going to die facing monsters, she was going to do it with her pride intact. She would go down fighting, not running like a coward. Her new found knife was far from her now, lost when one creature had tackled her to the ground, and that hindered her plan of not panicking, but she knew she could reach it. She planned her steps. Roll under the thing on her left, leap over the next one, grab the knife, plunge it into the third one. As long as another tail didn't whip at her, and as long as the other one didn't spew acid at her again, she should be able to make it. Even her internal voice sounded less than confident in the plan, but it was better than nothing. No plan results in a grisly death, and that was not going to be a part of her day.   
  
Just as she was about to move, the third creature, her ultimate target, turned away from the crowd and stalked off in another direction. She grinned to herself, it was moving slowly which meant she had done a considerable amount of damage already, and that bode well for her. She was confused though, where was it going? Was it so sure that it's buddies could take her down that it didn't want to stay, or was killing her so boring it was off in search of something more fun? Buffy knew she should be grateful for one less monster to deal with, she felt a little insulted by the creature's lack of interest. Then a chilling thought dawned on her, what if it was yet another creature that had taken it's attention away? Pride and determination aside, Buffy knew that adding another thing into the mix would be too much. The battle would surely be lost. Keeping her mind on the battle in front of her, Buffy scanned the area to try and catch sight of what the monster had found so interesting.  
  
Maybe ten yards away from the mess she had gotten herself into she finally saw what the distraction was. The guy she had run into a couple of days ago, the one that she had stolen the knife from, was poorly trying to blend into the trees nearby. She was amazed he had survived the last two days, but she could tell that the world was wearing on him. He would end up as a light snack for this thing in no time at all. Her slayer instinct kicked in and the need to protect him took over all other motives. Just as it had so many times before, her own survival came second to someone else's. Buffy kicked into overdrive, rolling and leaping to grab her knife just as she had planned. She threw the knife fast, landing it in the back of the things head perfectly. Unfortunately it didn't pierce far enough in, and the thing stayed standing, but it did turn back to her. It lumbered towards her, it's eyes revealing it's intent to tear her limb from limb.  
  
" _Why was that a good idea again?"_  She asked herself mentally, cursing herself as she readied herself for the impending assault.  
  
Dean was stunned that she had intervened. Roles reversed he would have welcomed the chance to fight one less creature. Seeing that act of humanity reminded him of how he would react back home. She may not need the protection that he offered in the real world, but she was definitely in need of help. Despite his feelings of disdain towards the blonde, he couldn't ignore his instincts anymore, and as soon as the monster had it's back to him he launched himself at it. Dean latched onto the creature with all his strength and reached up as high as he could. The height difference created a struggle, but as soon as he managed to climb up it's back, he grabbed the knife handle and thrust it in the rest of the way into the creatures skull. The creature dropping to the ground hard, and Dean had to struggle to keep his balance. He pulled the knife out and looked up to the blonde chick who had been watching him, wide-eyed. He wasn't sure if she was more shocked by the fact that he didn't run screaming, the fact that he had been able to drive the blade in deep enough, or that he was willing to help her. Truth be told, he wasn't sure what he was more shocked at either.   
  
The moment passed as quickly as it had set. They had work to do. They nodded at one another and set to work on the last two. Buffy used the distraction to her advantage and grabbed a nearby rock. The thing she was facing had no sooner turned back to face her when it met with the rock, which threw it off balance. Buffy wasted no time in bashing the monsters skull in, using fast and devastating swings of the rock. By the time she was done it was hard to tell where the things face had been. It may have been overkill, but Buffy did not want to risk leaving it alive in any way. She had made that mistake more than once here, and paid for it terribly.  
  
Dean was taken aback by the viciousness of her attack, but had no time to appreciate it as the last creature had been circling him, waiting for a moment to attack. Dean lunged, leading with the knife, but missed his target. This thing moved faster than the rest and it wasn't about to be taken down by a forward assault. He knew that he had to find a way to get around it, maybe use a fake out. His best possible move would be to knock it to the ground, which would give Dean the best advantage possible given the situation. Dean was caught up in trying to find a weakness in the monster's form that he failed to notice the gill-like structure on it's neck begin to pulsate.  
  
"Move!" the girl screamed, "get away from it!" She recognized that move, she had barely avoided the same attack earlier. This was not going to go well for the other person if she didn't warn him.  
  
Human nature generally causes a lag between a request and an action, but Dean had been training his whole life. He knew if he heard an order, he was to act immediately, and the panic in her voice made him follow her directions without a second thought. He sprang into action, diving past the creature under it's arms and rolled to put some distance between them. Just as he had moved away, the thing spewed a large volume of sickly red liquid at the spot he had just been occupying. The ground melted away from the liquid as it bubbled and steamed, a smell of battery acid and lye hit his nose abruptly, turning his stomach and stinging his eyes. He was dumbfounded by the attack and the thing turned at a breakneck speed to face him leaving him no chance to move again before he found himself face to face with the monster. The speed of the creature made it seem as though he was frozen to his spot. He probably would have been reduced to goo if the blonde didn't intervene.   
  
She grabbed his shoulders and spun him out of the way, lifting him and then promptly throwing him to the ground hard, though not as hard as the previous time she had moved him in such a way. She delivered a high spinning kick to the thing, enough power behind the kick to cause the monster to stagger back. Rather than continuing the assault head on, the girl rolled to the side of the creature and delivered a punch to it's side, roughly where one would think it's ribs would be. The thing didn't need to spin to attack her, a spike appeared from it's side and plunged into her fist as she connected with it. Dean winced at the thought of the spike burying into her fist, but she didn't even flinch. Instead she dropped and swung her legs in an effort to bring it to the ground. It had barely hit the ground when she straddled it, snapping it's head back so it couldn't spew liquid at her like it had him. She was struggling to keep her hold, and he could see her struggle to figure out her next step.  
  
"Hey!" He yelled to her. She was strong, and she was nimble, but there was nowhere for her to go now. He had to do something to help.  
  
She didn't turn her head, but held her hand out, seeing the glint of the knife in her peripheral vision. He threw the knife and she caught it without ever breaking her gaze with the monster. She plunged the knife deep into the thing's face, driving it through into it's brain and then ripping it up through the top of it's head. It stopped squirming and fell still. A smile started to spread across her face, but was halted by the rumble that she felt in the things midsection. Her eyes grew wide and she dove off of the corpse, rolling as far as she could before it burst into red and black goo. The two of them stared at the pile of bubbling goo, and then to one another. Silence hanging heavy between them.  
  
Dean got to his feet and brushed himself off, "Well, that was –"  
  
"Bracing"  
  
Dean put his hand out to help the girl up, "Well I was gonna go with awful"  
  
Taking his hand, Buffy too was now up on her feet and brushing off, "Also that. Thanks for showing up when you did. That was a losing battle."  
  
"Couldn't tell from where I was standing. Looked like you were handling yourself just fine. For a chick"  
  
Her eyes rolled, "Gee thanks. Excuse me if I contain myself at your compliment." She craned her neck to crack it and then sighed. "Here," she stretched her arm out, handing him the knife.  
  
With a raised eyebrow Dean paused, "After all that the other day, you're just gonna give that to me now?"  
  
She shrugged, "As much as I'd like to have it, you need it more than I do. I'll figure something out."  
  
"I think I did just fine without it"  
  
She looked at him incredulously and poked at the wound on his neck, earning a wince and a groan from him. "Yup, you're doing great."  
  
"Alright," he ceded, "I struggled a bit, but I've made it this long. I don't need your pity."  
  
"It wasn't pity so much as guilt, but fine. I'll keep it," she pulled the knife back towards her.  
  
"Or, crazy idea, we could both keep it?" He couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth, but something told him that it was one of the smartest things he had ever said. It felt like an eternity before she replied.  
  
"What, like, not beat each other up and then go our separate ways? Stay together instead?"  
  
He felt like he was going to regret this, "Why not? You look about as tired as I feel which tells me that you're not getting much sleep either. We could sleep in shifts, that way we could actually get some sleep. If another pack like that rolls through I don't think either of us could handle it in this state."  
  
Dean was one of the best hunters of his time, but this world was entirely different. The battle was nonstop here, and the monsters came from every angle. It never stopped. Even if it wasn't the monsters that got him, he knew it wouldn't be long before just a plain lack of sleep took him down. If he was going to get home, if he was going to get back to his brother, he needed help. Asking a tiny slip of a girl to team up seemed strange, but he had seen her in action. The way she fought was astounding. It wasn't like the way he fought, meticulous and through strategy though. She moved much more gracefully than any hunter he had ever seen, almost like it was a dance to her. She could more than handle herself, and even if he couldn't trust her, he felt like they could keep each other safe. She had to have a reason to survive as well, right?  
  
She contemplated what he had said. It was true, she was exhausted. She doubted she could go on much longer like this. The wounds she had were beginning to pile up, and while she had slept just fine on the water, she couldn't bank on that each night. The second night she had attempted to sleep on the lake, a presence had made itself known. She didn't know what it was, and she didn't stick around long enough to find out. A large fin had broken the surface of the water and smacked the raft with such a force that it nearly capsized it. Buffy had wasted no time in paddling back to land and getting away from the lake. An aquatic battle seemed like a really great way to die a stupid death. It was the first time she had seen a creature in the water, but she didn't want to take a chance that it was a one-off. That thing could have easily killed her, and if there was anything that Buffy knew she could trust in this place it was that you don't get second chances to survive.  
  
"How do I know you won't just kill me while I'm sleeping? Or leave me there alone?" She wasn't ready to accept his proposition quite yet.  
  
"Well, if I was gonna kill you I woulda taken the knife and stabbed you here and now."  
  
She laughed, "You would have tried to, that's true. Okay."  
  
"I could have left you when battling those things, but I didn't" He thought it best to remain silent on the fact that his original plan had been to leave. "And why team up at all if I was just gonna leave?"  
  
"Okay. Fine. I guess that's an acceptable plan. Neither of us need to be babysat, obviously."  
  
"No ma'am. I'm still dumbfounded by that fact. A bitty thing like you?"  
  
Her eyes narrowed for a second and then relaxed, "No harm in telling you, I suppose. What do you know about the supernatural world?"  
  
A smirk played at his lips, "more than I should. Why?"  
  
"I'm a slayer."  
  
He blinked. She did say "mostly human" didn't she? He didn't know much, but he knew that name. He had seen it several times over the years, mostly while doing some research with Sammy. She had popped up with something to do with some vamp named The Master and something to do with a failed ascension. He was sure there was more that he had read. Dean also vaguely recalled Bobby mentioning something about some council who watched over some super-chick. He had laughed at the time at how ridiculous it was to choose a chick for such a job, but now standing in front of her he understood completely. He'd never admit it, but he was a little awestruck.  
  
"Slayer? As in a vampire slayer?"  
  
"As in  **the**  vampire slayer, and anything else that goes bump in the night."  
  
"Isn't that supposed to be a some kinda secret identity or something?"  
  
"Well, who are you gonna tell? That dead thing over there? Or the next one that finds us? I'd rather you know that I can handle myself and that I'll survive just fine if you screw me over. I don't need you."  
  
He shook his head in agreement, "Fair. In the spirit of that, I'm a hunter. Been one nearly my whole life."  
  
"Hunter, hey? I've met a few along the way. Interesting crowd." She thought of Cain, the one that had tried to take down Oz. He was less than fun to deal with. Syd the dummy had been almost kinda sweet, if not a little pervy. She hoped that this one was somewhere in the middle of the two.  
  
"Dean." He reached his hand out to shake hers.  
  
She looked at it skeptically and then shook her head. His hand dropped.  
  
"Slayer is fine. No need to get all sentimental and crap."  
  
"I like the way you think. What now, sweetheart?"  
  
She sneered at him, but chose to let it go. "I suppose we figure out what to do now that it's dark and we're standing out here like morons."


	7. Shape of Things

**Chapter Six – Shape of Things**  
  
"You're bleeding," Dean stated matter-of-factly.  
  
Buffy didn't slow down her pace, "I know"  
  
"We can stop if you'd like. I'm sure we can defend ourselves somewhere nearby."  
  
"No, we have to find something better than a couple of trees, Dean," her head shaking no as she spoke.  
  
The two walked quietly from there on out, not daring to make a noise that might attract some unwanted attention. It was so dark they could barely see a foot in front of them, and neither of them wanted to be caught off guard. Buffy was sure that she would sense something if it was coming, but neither of them were ready to go toe to toe with another beasty right now. Her side ached, and by the way he was limping she figured he had some wound on his leg that was giving him trouble. Injuries slowed you down, and being slowed down got you dead, it was as simple as that. That thought was enough to keep her motivated; they needed to find somewhere closed off to rest.  
  
She stopped, sighing. This was useless. They were never going to find anything like this. It was pitch black, they were both hurting, and they were probably wandering in circles. Buffy could practically feel eyes watching them from the distance. As if the monsters were just waiting for them to slow down, to give up. That was not going to happen though, because she wouldn't allow it. They just needed to find somewhere to hide for the night. If they were still near that lake, they could paddle out on her raft, but there was no way of knowing how far they were from that, and it was senseless trying to find the right direction to go in. The lake would be risky anyways, and she knew it, but at this point it would have been worth it.  
  
Dean noticed she had stopped, "What is it?"  
  
Buffy closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. Dean watched her curiously, eyes scanning around in case she was sensing a foe he could not yet see. It was a long shot and she knew it, but Giles had always told her to trust her instincts.  
  
Her eyes reopened and she pointed to their left, "that way." She hoped her voice sounded a lot more confident than she felt.  
  
Dean stifled a chuckle, "what, can you sense real estate or something?"  
  
"Just a hunch. I've learned to trust them here. But if you'd like we can keep wandering that way."  
  
"Lead the way, sweetheart," Dean bowed sarcastically.  
  
If danger wasn't imminent, if there weren't eyes watching their every move, she may have hit him for that. Pet names were not generally something that Buffy approved of, and something about the way he said "sweetheart" made her blood boil and her skin prickle.  
  
She had embellished a little earlier, she did need him. She couldn't go on this way anymore, she was beyond tired and her side ached. Working alone had done alright so far, she had managed to keep herself alive, but it was getting harder and harder for her to do so. Her determination to survive never faltered, but her ability to do so was definitely waning. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she did need help, and therefore she did need him. So she let the "sweetheart" comments slide. For now.  
  
She headed off in the new direction, picking the way through brush and trees. They were mindful of what could be around them, keeping their guards up and trying to move as quietly as possible. Despite the darkness that pushed around them, the two kept each other in their sights at all times, not wanting to be separated.  
  
At first Buffy wondered if she had chosen the wrong direction, if she had put too much faith in her senses. It wasn't long, though, until the two of them came across a small alcove in the side of a rock cliff. They almost missed it, the entrance was tiny enough that she wasn't sure her new found companion would be able to fit through the gap. Once inside, they found that the space was also rather small, but larger than they had expected from the outside. The entire space was visible from where they stood, and it was completely empty. Not a beasty or shadowy spot in sight. It was safe. If she hadn't have been so exhausted she might have gloated a little.  
  
Then came the awkward part. Who got to sleep first? Who would stand guard? They both looked at each other, silently daring the other to speak up first. It was obvious that, even though they had agreed to stick together, neither of them trusted the other. Trust was a luxury from home, and one that neither of them could afford.  
  
"Uhh, so…" She shuffled her feet, finally breaking the silence.  
  
"Yeah…Listen, you should sleep first. You look like you can barely stand. I'll wake you in a few hours."  
  
While he was technically right, he volunteered a little too fast for her liking, "I got a better plan. You sleep first. Slayer stamina has its perks. I'll be okay for a few more hours." Buffy hoped that he wouldn't catch on that she was lying.  
  
That was a little too convenient he thought, and he wasn't about to give her the upper hand again so soon. His head still ached a bit from the last time that happened. "I insist. Ladies first and all that shit."  
  
"Oh 'cause you strike me as such the gentleman," she rolled her eyes, "You don't trust me to watch over you, do you?"  
  
"You nearly concussed me, threatened my boys, and stole my knife all within the first five minutes of meeting one another. Would you trust you?"  
  
"All the more reason for me not to trust you. You could be looking for payback."  
  
Neither of them were willing to give in on this one, and they both quickly realized that neither of them were going to win out. Both were used to dealing with stubborn people, but neither were used to losing out in the end. It was a stalemate. So, their first night teaming up so that they could revitalize themselves and watch over each other? Was spent with both of them wide awake, watching each other's every move. Not exactly what they had had in mind.  
  
Once the sun came up, the two were on the move again, this time in search of water. The wounds they were both sporting were of the nasty variety and needed some sort of attention, even if it was just a rinse out.  
  
Dean's wounds had all closed over throughout the night, but were still tender to the touch. It was nothing he wasn't used to, though, and therefore he wouldn't let it slow him down. He was shocked when he looked over to the blonde, who had been battered and bloody when he found her, and saw that she had nothing more than a bruise or two on her body. Dean figured it had something to do with being the slayer, but it was still impressive. He smirked to himself as he wondered where he could sign up for some sweet superpowers.  
  
Despite being a little stiff, Buffy barely felt the wounds that had been piling up anymore. Most of them had healed over quite well, but the gash in her side was being persistent. She didn't want him to think she was weak, and she certainly didn't want his pity, so she hid the injury from him while she tended to her more visible wounds. As much as she wanted to rinse the dirt and grime from the gnawing gouge, she needed to be careful of what he could see. It would have to survive without a rinse out.  
  
Sitting by the lake left them time to converse again for the first time since they had their sleeping stand-off.  
  
"Ya know, it's pretty quiet around here. Maybe we should stick close to the lakes?"  
  
Buffy shook her head, "it looks quiet now, but we really can't stay long. A lot of them watch the lakes, waiting to trap whatever is brave enough, or stupid enough, to approach the water."  
  
Dean could hear it in her voice; she had been here for far too long. There was no sense in arguing.  
  
"What about out on the water? An island maybe? Or we could build something – "  
  
"No," she cut him off, "I tried that. I don't know what's out there, but it did not like me being in it's backyard. I haven't seen a lake with an island in the middle either, so I'm gonna assume that that's out of the question too."  
  
Dean ran his fingers through his hair. The gravity of his situation was really beginning to sink in, and it terrified him. He didn't know anything about this world, and other than trial and error, there was no way to find out anything more. There was no research to be done, and he couldn't ask any of the people he had come to rely on over the last few years. This brought the feeling of being alone to a whole new level. There had to be something they could do, though.  
  
"So do we have a plan here, or are we just ganking monsters for the sake of it?"  
  
"I don't even know. I've been very 'in-the-momenty' since I landed here. I don't even know what we could plan to."  
  
"I don't know about you, sweetheart, but I'm gonna get outta here. Make it home."  
  
"How do you propose we do that, exactly?"  
  
He paused, "I'm working on that. Haven't you thought about getting out of here?"  
  
"For a while. Then my thoughts were mostly focused on the whole not dying thing."  
  
It wasn't like she had never thought it of before. When she had first arrived here, the idea of getting out was all she thought about. There was always a way out of any situation she had gotten herself into, and she had figured that this would be no different. The idea consumed her. And it had nearly gotten her had let that hope flicker out long ago; she knew it was nothing but trouble.  
  
The idea still danced in the back of her mind; the hope that one day she would get out of this place. The hope that her final resting place was beyond this world, and that she would have her peace one day. Thoughts like that were quickly followed up by an ache in her heart as she thought that this was all she would ever have. She couldn't help but think that she was here for a reason, and this is where she would live out her days. Not exactly Valhalla, but maybe this is what warriors were sentenced to? Wouldn't that be typical 'powers-that-be' bullshit?  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
Despite not really wanting to team up, they found that the battles they stumbled upon were much easier to take on this way. It didn't take them long to find a rhythm while they fought, each staying on opposite sides of the monsters so that the things could never take aim at both of them. One would attack while the other dodged and rolled. The knife would be passed back and forth. Buffy and Dean would do whatever they could to keep packs separated, making sure that each of them had their own monster to fight. It wasn't really working together as much as it was fighting in the same vicinity. It was very much a divide and conquer style of fighting. Probably not the most efficient, but it got the job done. They both survived the battles, receiving a considerably lower number of injuries than in previous ones. As far as they were concerned, the new arrangement was working out just fine.  
  
It took several skirmishes with the things that lived here, and a few more sleepless nights before the two had any sort of trust in the other. It wasn't so much that trust had been built, but a certain rapport was established. They were finally able to get some sleep. Getting some uninterrupted rest made all the difference in how they were able to handle themselves. Their wounds started to heal better, they were able to think much more clearly, and they were able to respond to the world with a much faster reflex. It felt like a lifetime since Buffy had gotten some real rest, and she was grateful for it. What didn't change, however, was their movement. They never stopped moving. Most of their travels were in silence, their own version of solitude. Both trying to keep a distance between them.  
  
To an outsider it would have looked cold, but in truth it was an act of self-preservation. For one, they didn't want to reveal too much about themselves, about their own story, to hide their own vulnerability. For two, they didn't want to know each other too well. Chances of both of them surviving were rather low, and they both knew that. Why get close to someone who has an expiration date that is probably fast approaching?  
  
When they did speak to one another, however, they found it was mostly bickering. It didn't matter what the topic was, they would bicker. If she said up, he'd say down, just to get her goat. They could be discussing directions, fighting moves, or simply who would sleep first. Everything was an epic battle between the two of them. It got to the point where Dean would be stubborn just to piss her off, and she would be demanding just to see that look on his face. It was almost like a game for them, and maybe it would have been funny if the other one wasn't so infuriating.  
  
There was one thing Buffy couldn't put up with though, and that was being treated like a damsel in distress.  
  
"I didn't need your help!" Buffy cursed, throwing her hands up.  
  
"Sure looked like you did from my angle. That limp you have now seems to agree with me too."  
  
She tried to stop favouring her knee, but failed miserably. "I could have handled it. I thought we agreed to stay out of each other's fights?"  
  
"Should I have let you be taken down before I stepped in? You had a freakin' claw buried in your knee!"  
  
They had agreed to stay out of each other's way, but he hadn't thought that she'd actually adhere to that. Dean couldn't believe she hadn't asked for help in that last fight. Slayer strength or not, it's hard to recover from having a claw rip through your knee cap.  
  
"I could have handled myself," she huffed.  
  
"Sure sweetheart."  
  
"Ya know, slayer's are built to handle things like this? I've faced down bigger and badder than these things back home. Are you forgetting I kinda do this for a living?"  
  
"Don't get all high and mighty on me. You're not the only one that does this back home, ya know." Dean hated the tone of her voice when she brought up being the slayer. Like that made her better than him.  
  
"Oh, so does that give you super powers? Or are you still a human who is out of his league here, trying to play in the big kid's sandbox?"  
  
He was out of his league here, and he knew it. All his training, all his experience, all his ambition, and he was still in over his head. It just didn't stop. They never stopped coming. Dean had felt a pit in his stomach since he landed here. The overwhelming thought that he was not meant to make it out of here. How he even got here was a mystery, and without that piece of information, trying to think of an escape became next to impossible. It was hopeless.  
  
With a sudden desire to be off the topic, Dean stopped. "How did you end up here?" He blurted out.  
  
The sudden shift in tone caught Buffy off guard. She was about to protest the change of topic, but held her tongue. Whatever reason Dean had for stopping to ask that question didn't matter, she was just grateful to rest a moment. She could pretend to be tough all she wanted right now, but the fact remained that her knee was currently not bending the right way.  
  
"What do you mean?" She asked, rolling what was left of her pant leg out of the way of her wound.  
  
"Well, you were at home, and now you're here. What did that? Me, one minute I was fighting some nasty ancient evil, and the next I'm here."  
  
"Oh," she tried to find an answer that didn't give away too much information, "I was in a battle with a Hell-God. Took the bitch down. One minute I'm standing on a tower, the next I'm landing here. Why?"  
  
"Just trying…to get a handle on all of this."  
  
Buffy looked skeptically at him, "You wanted to see if you could outrank me."  
  
"Also that," Dean smirked.  
  
"Well, tough luck. Ancient evil, Hell-God, same diff if you ask me. We both kick ass. So let's stop treating each other with kid gloves."  
  
"…deal."  
  
"Great," Buffy smiled as she clicked her knee back into place with a sickening crack. The sound made both of them cringe.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
It wasn't really a peace that was struck between them, but the silence that had persisted throughout their travels seemed to lighten. The two continued to battle the monsters with some sort of efficiency, they continued to take turns sleeping, and they moved none stop during the day. The yelling had stopped though, and the only communication was now making decisions and giving directions. There was still some bickering, but mostly it was just shop talk if they spoke at all. After being alone for so long, silence didn't really bother Buffy. Dean took solace in the silence. Her voice was infuriating, and he couldn't stand the way she spoke to him like she was better than he was.  
  
Dean was sure that she wasn't trying to sound that way, but it felt that way to Dean. In all reality, it was probably because Dean himself felt like he was never good enough, it had nothing to do with Buffy. He couldn't help but think it, though. She was obviously chosen to be the slayer for a reason. Some higher power thought she deserved the power she has, did that make her better? What was it like being a slayer?  
  
Although he was curious, he wasn't curious enough to ask. She was right, they didn't need to get too close. Chances were that at least one of them weren't going to survive this. Even if they both made it, it wasn't like they were going to be best buds after this. This was a partnership born out of necessity, not out of want. He would rather work in silence than play twenty questions anyways. Questions were Sammy's thing, not his. Man, he would be loving this. Working with a legend like the slayer? He was going to be so jealous when Dean told him about meeting the slayer.  
  
Even though she was quiet on the outside, Buffy's curiosity made the inside of her head very loud. She hadn't worked with someone within her league since she worked with Faith, and that didn't turn out so well for either of them. What if Dean ended up being similar? Even with that worry, it was nice to know that he was capable of handling himself. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of hell he had been through in the real world. Had he faced down as many demons as she had? How many people had he buried? This was someone who had chosen this life, and not been selected for it. Why would anyone want to do this?  
  
Since being here she had ended up feeling rather hard on the inside. Although she didn't want to be soft again, not here anyways, it was nice to be reminded that she was, in fact human. Did he think she was simply a killing machine? That's what she had felt like since she got here anyways, maybe even before, too. That was a thought she had wrestled with for a very long time, was a slayer really just a killer? Being in Purgatory made her think that she really was just a glorified killer, no better than the things she put down.  
  
Then there was Dean, a human who chose this. Did he go through the same thoughts? The questions swirled around in her brain nonstop. She might have let a question slip free if it hadn't have been for the alarms that suddenly went off in her head.  
  
"Something's coming," she said, eyes wide and with a strength in her voice that left no room for doubt.  
  
"Do we stay and fight, or try to get outta here?"  
  
"I'm up for a rumble. Are you?"  
  
Not wanting to be shown up, Dean grabbed his knife from his holster, "Ya, I could have some fun."  
  
"Good, 'cause it's close."  
  
"Where?" He couldn't see anything.  
  
Buffy was about to tell him that she wasn't sure, when something swooped down over their heads.  
  
"What the – " she started, caught off guard.  
  
"- fuck!?" Dean finished, ducking underneath the thing that swooped at them.  
  
"They fly now!?"


	8. Mysteries and Mayhem

**Chapter Seven – Mysteries and Mayhem**  
  
"What the fuck do we do now?" Dean yelled as he rolled away from another dive attack.  
  
"We gotta ground it!" Buffy yelled back, dodging a swipe from the creature's wing.  
  
It was a beast unlike anything they had seen before, not just in the real world but here as well. The things wing-span alone was amazing, but the creature was as long as it was wide, with a flicking tail that threatened to sweep their legs out from under them. Having a beast attack by dropping on them was one thing, they had learned to cope with that, but from the air? This was something entirely different. There was nowhere to run or to hide when it was bearing down on them from above. As long as it was above them, the thing would always have the upper-hand.  
  
"Any suggestions?" Dean called, barely escaping a talon as it flew past him.  
  
It swooped down again and Buffy had an idea. The winged beast had been coming down low, she could almost reach it. Anyone who wasn't used to dealing with creatures like this probably wouldn't have been able to come up with a plan, but she wasn't anyone. She was a Slayer. The longest living one. So far, anyways.  
  
"Dean! Launch me!"  
  
Dean understood her command quickly, having been the launched individual a few times growing up, and folded his hands together, waiting for the Slayer to reach him. She ran full tilt towards him and landed her foot in his hands, making her body a sleek shape as she reached upwards as high as she could. Dean pushed her foot up at the same time, sending the small blonde into the air. Buffy soared through the air and landed on the back of the beast.  
  
It bucked wildly causing Buffy to barely manage to keep hold. Her fingers dug in so strongly that her nails bit into the thing's flesh, leaving crescent shaped marks where each finger sat. Her legs wrapped around as much of the monster's body as she could muster, falling well short of grabbing onto it's stomach. Her small stature made it hard for her to hold on, and it robbed her of the ability to be on the offensive. Her knee crackled and squished in its place, protesting the strain being put on it. There was no down time here, no healing time, and she would have to work through it.  
  
"Kay, I didn't think this through!" She shrieked, realizing there was nowhere to go from here.  
  
Sometimes her spur of the moment ideas worked wonderfully for her, there were plenty of times in the past where that had been the case. This was not one of those moments. She was at the mercy of this beast, and it seemed completely unfazed by the weight on it's back.  
  
Dean watched with amazement as the slayer flew with the beast, holding on tightly. His amazement turned to concern when he realized that she didn't seem to be making any progress in bringing the beast to the ground.  
  
Suddenly Dean realized that the knife was still in his hands, "Shit. Slayer!" He dodged another swoop by the thing and tossed the knife up to her as she passed by.  
  
The creature was moving so fast that she was barely able to catch the knife and continue holding on to her unwilling mount. Once she had the blade she wasted no time and drove it deep into the monsters neck, causing it to buck wildly, throwing Buffy to the ground. The beast crashed to the ground several feet away, flailing and bucking.  
  
Buffy hit the ground hard and slid a good distance from both the beast and Dean. The wind was temporarily knocked out of her, and her head throbbed from striking the ground. The blow threatened to knock her out, and if she had been alone she may have actually lost consciousness. Remembering Dean, and not wanting to leave him on his own for this battle, Buffy managed to hold her tenuous hold on reality.  
  
"Probably should have waited until it was lower to the ground for that. Smart move." Buffy muttered as she stood up stiffly.  
  
Dean didn't see her crash landing, he didn't have time to worry about the slayer. Instead, he was on the creature as soon as it was on the ground, grabbing the knife as he passed by its landing spot. No matter what had happened to the small blonde, this beast needed to be dead. It took some maneuvering to get around the thrashing limbs of the monster, but Dean finally got close enough to deliver some damage. Stepping on the beast's wing, Dean leaned over and plunged the knife into it's head several times until all movement stopped. Two more blows were delivered for good measure before Dean was willing to back off.  
  
"Well that was new," Dean said, wiping the blade off on his jeans.  
  
"Yeah, this place has a habit of sending all kinds of stuff at ya. Wings though? Wasn't expecting that."  
  
"You good, sweetheart?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm good. Ya done with the sweetheart thing yet? It's not as endearing as you think."  
  
Her aggravation finally hit a boiling point. She couldn't pinpoint exactly why the nickname sweetheart bothered her, but it did. Each time he said it, she lost a bit of her cool. The chauvinistic tone in his voice was like listening to nails on a chalkboard. Buffy had heard this same tone from Cain when he tried to hunt Oz, and she hadn't taken it well then, either. Maybe that was part of the reason she hated it so much. No matter the reason, she was through.  
  
"Who said I thought it was endearing?"  
  
The sly glint in his eye did nothing but fuel her anger.  
  
"You're really a pain in the ass you know that? No wonder hunters work alone because quite clearly you are all lacking in the social skills department."  
  
That hit a sour note with Dean and his face showed it. He stomped off away from the slayer, not wanting to let on that her comment had stung. He didn't need a reminder that hunters had to live a quarantined lifestyle. Thinking of that made him think about Sam, and how alone he must be now. Yeah, he had Cas, but Cas was absent more often than not. The idea that he left Sam all alone made him sick to his stomach.  
  
Buffy almost felt bad, but her frustration prevented her from any form of an apology. They didn't need to like each other, they just needed to work together. Preferably without the 'sweetheart' comments.  
  
The two returned to walking in silence. They started out fuming, but soon their thoughts returned to the questions they wanted to ask. She may be infuriating, but she was intriguing as well, and Dean respected the hell out of her. Anyone who could fight like she did was worthy of respect, but for a small girl to hold her own like she did? Impressed didn't even quite cover it. Buffy was naturally a curious person, so she struggled to ignore all the questions she had swirling around her head. His reaction to her comment only served to make her curiosity impossible to ignore. Finally, a nagging thought of Buffy's slipped out through her lips.  
  
"Is it lonely, being a hunter?" Her eyes kept forward, avoiding his.  
  
Dean took a deep breath, not too sure how he felt about answering that question. He could tell that it was a question she wasn't comfortable asking, either. Usually chicks were all about talking about feelings, but she didn't really strike him as the type. She actually seemed completely uninterested in talking at all. Dean figured there was more to the question than she was letting on, and his own curiosity was getting the better of him. Maybe if he answered her questions, he'd get a chance to ask some of his own. He was about to give some sort of answer when a long tail wrapped around the blonde next to him and pulled her back at an impossible speed.  
  
"Slayer!"  
  
Dean turned to find her, but saw no sign of her anywhere. The winged beast they had just defeated was missing now also. How many stabs did that thing need! His eyes scanned quickly, searching for anything out of place, for some sort of hint as to his companion's whereabouts. Off in the distance he noticed a strange bubbling spot on the ground with the tip of a wing disappearing into it.  
  
"Fuck!"  
  
He didn't hesitate, he knew she had been dragged down there, and he couldn't leave her there. He looked around for a vine to ensure he could return, but found nothing close by. Although not the ideal plan, Dean knew he didn't have time to find something to anchor himself to the ground. Taking a deep breath he clamped hard onto his knife and dove into the pit in search of the girl.  
  
The pit was like quicksand, making his movements slow and causing a great strain on his muscles. Dean could hardly see a few inches in front of him and the dusty substance stung not only his eyes but every inch of exposed skin. He didn't have time to focus on any of that though, he had to find her and fast. It couldn't be safe down here, and the longer it took him to find the slayer, the more likely he would never find her. Who knew how deep this thing ran, and how many other creatures hid in here. Dean rooted around trying to find the source of the muffled screams that he could hear. He caught a glimpse of a shadow and reached out, hoping it was the Slayer. Instead a strong jaw clamped down on his forearm, tearing and shredding his flesh. Ignoring the pain that ripped through his arm, Dean pierced the things head again, aiming directly for it's eye, forcing it to let go.  
  
The creature snaked away from him and out of his sight. Damn thing still wasn't dead, and Dean couldn't believe it. It had taken quite the beating, and he was pretty sure the amount of holes in this thing should have taken it down long ago. It seemed to be gone for now and Dean wondered if he was being naïve in thinking so, but as long as he could find the slayer and get out of here before it came back, he didn't care.  
  
He delved further down into the pit, sweeping his arms out around him hoping to come in contact with something else. Anything else at this point, but mostly hoping to find the blonde. Dean was now far enough down that he had lost sight of where he had come in, but still he moved further down. Finally he saw a hand reach out towards him with a muffled voice accompanying it. He grabbed for the hand quickly, not wanting to lose sight of it. Once he had her hand firmly in his, she was able to close the gap between them. With his arms strongly around her waist he pulled her tight against him and started his struggle to move back to the surface. The slayer was limp against his frame, obviously weak from the attack. He imagined that oxygen was also becoming an issue for her as it was for him, too.  
  
He hadn't made much progress when he saw a familiar shadow circling them, and realized the beast was back. With the slayer wrapped in one arm, barely conscious by the feel of it, Dean only had one arm left to not only protect them, but to attack as well. Not stopping his ascent through the pit, Dean watched for the creature, hoping that he could make it to the top before it found it's way to attack them. As if the creature read his mind, it darted for them quickly, leaving Dean unsure if he could defend them well enough.  
  
Buffy was barely holding on to Dean at this point, was barely staying awake, but she could still sense the impending danger. She could see the creature boring down on them, and kicked her legs out swiftly, locking them around it's neck tightly. Her quick move prevented the creature from moving in any direction, allowing Dean to once again drive the knife through the creatures head. He retracted the knife and thrust it through the monsters skull once more, giving it a sturdy twist before pushing it in further. This time the life drained from the monster, and once the girl loosen her legs grasp on it the thing fell away. They had fallen for it's possum act before, but something told them both that this time the thing was finally dead. Without even a shadow of the creature near them, Dean was able to continue his effort to reach the surface again.  
  
It took a great deal of work, but he managed to push the girl up through to the surface, and then pull himself up as well, collapsing on solid ground and gasping for air. Buffy was laid out on the ground when Dean pulled himself up. She was coughing and desperately gasping for air, coated in the mysterious sand-like substance that they had just escaped from. Fear had yet to drain from her eyes, and for the first time since he met her, she truly looked small. This is what she would look like if she was an ordinary human, someone who didn't know what lurked in the shadows. It pulled at his heart that a girl that could look this innocent, this sweet, could be so hardened by the world. He could only assume it wasn't just this world that had done that, but her home as well. He wasn't sure which thought hurt more.  
  
A silence came over them, both a little unsure of where to go from there.  
  
"Wanna rinse off?" Buffy offered, finally breaking the quiet.  
  
"Very much so," Dean answered, trying to get the substance out from his ear.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
"Well I'm not going to undress with you watching!" Buffy stated indignantly.  
  
"Well I'm not letting you get whipped off into another pit, so figure something out"  
  
The bickering had started as soon as the pair reached the lake. Their clothing had dusted off just fine, but Buffy's skin and hair were both still thickly coated with the sandy matter, and no amount of dry scrubbing would take it off. She probably would have put up with it if she could stop coughing because of the dust, but her lungs protested the idea of remaining coated. Getting naked in front of Dean was not what she wanted to do.  
  
Dean, however, was less than willing to let her out of his sight again. His adrenaline had taken over when she had been whipped away from him, but he wasn't sure he could save her again if needed. The time they were in that weird pit and drained every ounce of strength and energy that Dean had left. The slayer had been left in a weakened state, too, and he wasn't sure if she could survive another encounter of the same magnitude.  
  
He wouldn't admit it to her, but being partnered up had been way better than he had expected. Sure, she was exasperating, but not being alone was nice. Plus he had gotten used to sleeping again, and that was a huge plus. It helped that she was more than capable of taking care of herself so he wasn't constantly slowing down for her. She reminded him of Jo, in a way. She had been capable as well, but he had failed to keep her safe. He didn't plan on going through anything like that ever again. So he'd much rather not lose this one because he took his eyes off of her.  
  
Buffy sighed, "Fine. Ass."  
  
There wasn't enough time to argue with him, they would have to get moving again soon. The sky was beginning to take on the hues that signaled nightfall, and the longer they stayed in one place the more likely they were to be found. Buffy knew she would regret her decision later, but for now it appeared to be her best option. She waded into the water, clothes and all.  
  
"Seriously?" Dean looked at her incredulously. "Enjoy your wet clothes later, sweetheart."  
  
Her eye twitched at his use of 'sweetheart' again. This time, Dean actually regretted using the nickname. It had slipped out by accident, but the bite that had accompanied it in previous uses was absent this time. It made it almost bearable.  
  
"I will." She smirked. She could be stubborn too.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
Regret didn't begin to cover it. Night fall was fast approaching and she was still drenched. She tried to play it off, but it would be impossible for Dean to not notice that she was shaking and freezing.  
  
"We'll find somewhere to stop for the night soon," Dean said, with a softness in his voice that she hadn't expected.  
  
"Hopefully."  
  
"It looks like there's a cave or another alcove just up ahead there," Dean pointed, "we can set up there. Maybe get a fire going or something."  
  
"We've had this fight before, almost every single night. Can we skip the argument and just come to the conclusion that starting a fire would draw way too much attention? Of the bad kind."  
  
"We'll be sheltered from sight this time. We'll keep it low and make sure to smother it before moving in the morning. You need to warm up and dry off."  
  
"Since when do you care?"  
  
"I don't. I'm just sick of listening to your teeth chatter like a fucking cartoon."  
  
So much for that softer tone.  
  
"Right. Fine. Still have that lighter?"  
  
Entering the small cave, the two of them investigated the shadows of it. The ground looked solid, the walls weren't broken, and the entrance was small enough that it would be hard for something to break in. No threat presented itself. The two felt relatively sure that they could stay here with a fire and not be at great risk.  
  
It was a nice change of pace, and they were almost able to pretend they were just on a camping trip. Not that Buffy had ever camped, but this is what she assumed a camping trip would be like. Minus the constant threat of dying, of course. Soon the only noise they heard was the quiet crackle of the flames, and they were both able to let go of the fear that the fire would draw unwanted attention to them. It wasn't a large fire, but it was warm enough to slow Buffy's shivering until she was barely shaking at all.  
  
Buffy couldn't ignore her surprise at the way Dean had been acting since the attack. She would have never thought he would risk his life to save her. At first she thought it had been a lapse in judgement, falling into old habits like she had done when she stopped the creature from leaving the pack. Now though? It was almost as though he was taking care of her. She'd be furious that he thought she needed tending to if it wasn't so out of character for him. She tried to chalk it up to keeping his partner alive, but even she didn't believe that.  
  
It took a lot of her own personal control to avoid barraging him with questions. Instead she chose to enjoy the warmth of the fire and the moment of peace. They had earned it.  
  
For the first time since they'd been there the silence was simply comfortable. It was likely that it would persist until one of them went to sleep. She was surprised when Dean interrupted the silence.


	9. I Had A Dream

**Chapter Eight – I Had A Dream**  
  
"It is," Dean said, his voice so quiet that she wasn't sure he had spoken at all.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Earlier. You asked me if being a hunter is lonely. It is. Spending your whole life on the move, never settling anywhere. Never making any connections beyond fellow hunters. Giving fake names to those we do meet. Constantly burying the few people we do know. Feeling like no one understands. Flying under the radar so we avoid detection. Yeah, it's lonely."  
  
The entire time he spoke he kept his eyes trained on the fire in front of them. His eyes had a far-away look in them, and Buffy was almost sure she could see his hands tremble while he spoke. She knew the feelings that he spoke of, that he was feeling as he spoke. Again she couldn't help but wonder how many people he had lost over the years. How many people had he had to walk away from? How many had walked away from him? This life was punctuated by loss and longing, and she knew that. God did she know that.  
  
She couldn't believe that he had confessed this much, let alone answered her question at all. At first she had wanted to ask him because she wondered if it was a common feeling among those who knew the truth of the world. As if just by knowing that the supernatural existed it set you apart, isolated you. She knew being the slayer made you different, but she never knew how it felt for the humans who had found out the secret of the world. Now that she had her answer she realized that she wanted to know more than just that. She wanted to know about him, what his life was like. Why did he do this to himself? Make the choice to hunt the things that go bump in the night? What had he seen? How long had he been in the life?  
  
Despite how she felt as the slayer, she realized she was lucky in a way. She still got to go to high school, have friends, she had a home. Dean didn't have any of that. She admired him. Buffy had been destined for this, and she never got a choice. When Kendra had shown up, when Faith had shown up, she had been more than ready to walk away from the life. She had always hoped for a way out, for some loophole or for a way to quit. She wanted more than this, and would jump at that opportunity. Or at least, so she thought. Even with a second slayer in the world she hadn't stopped slaying. As much of a fuss she put up over being the slayer, she wasn't sure if she could ever turn her back on the people she was destined to protect. She was meant to save them, and turning her back on that meant there would be a lot of lives lost.  
  
Then here's Dean. He could have walked away at any point. He wasn't tied to the life like she was, and yet he continued to hunt. As far as she knew, no ancient prophecy came out of the shadows and chose him to battle demons and monsters. He was a simple human who took up a cause. The way he spoke about the life told her that the cost to him had been great, but she also saw no sign of him walking away from it all. Dean made the choice to save people, and he did it without the backing of a council like she had. All the knowledge that he had was found through experience. In her eyes, Dean deserved the utmost of respect for his choices.  
  
She searched her brain for something to say, for some way to articulate her thoughts, but nothing seemed to be right. Everything seemed to fall well short of the intentions behind it, not expressing her sympathy and respect for him. That or it felt like she was gushing, going overboard and creating a much more emotional moment than was necessary. She was cut off by the gravelly voice speaking again, much to her relief.  
  
"Now I don't know much about Slayers, but I do remember hearing the prophecy about them once or twice. Research turns up all kinda stuff sometimes. 'One girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength' blah blah blah. I can't imagine your life has been all rosy either."  
  
"Yup, 'one girl' and 'she alone.' The loneliness is baked right in," Buffy sighed, her too finding the fire fascinating. After a pause she continued, "it's not even just that. I spend so much time lying to everyone I ever meet about who I am. I lied to my mom for years about it. Hiding blood stains and an entire arsenal in my room. Stopping apocalypses while trying to maintain the 'normal girl' façade. Being alone in a crowded room, knowing that you're nothing like anyone else around you. Everyone looking to me for the answers, to save them. Felt like the weight of the world…"   
  
She trailed off, suddenly feeling rather self-conscious about her answers. These were thoughts that she had buried deep down long ago, thoughts that no one else could ever know, and here she was spilling to some guy she barely knew past his name.   
  
"Growing up on the hellmouth was all kinds of weird, but I did have some semblance of a normal life. I had my friends and they helped me against evil, worked with me. They kept me human, and even when I had to leave them behind for a fight, they were still right there with me. And I loved them. Did you have anyone like that back home?"  
  
"Yeah," Dean smiled, the thought bittersweet, "my brother Sam. He's what I'm fighting for, to get back to."  
  
Seeing the look in his eyes as he mentioned Sam made Buffy smile. That look was one that she had for Dawn. She didn't know anything about their relationship, but she could only imagine that it was very similar to hers with Dawn. There was an unbelievable amount of love there, like Sam was at the center of his world. Hidden in all that love was a tinge of annoyance that could only be for a younger sibling. Even though she wouldn't ask, she was curious how much he had sacrificed for Sam throughout their lives.  
  
She reached her hand over and placed it on his, giving a small squeeze, knowing that the gesture wouldn't offer much comfort.  
  
"We're going to get you back there. I feel it. I don't know how we'll do it, but we will."  
  
He looked over at her, eyes searching her face, "We're both gonna get back home. There's no other option."  
  
Her hand dropped from his and she retracted into herself. For so long after landing in Purgatory, Buffy had been dead set on getting out of here. The constant battle had worn her down, but that wasn't what changed her feelings. There was nothing to do here but to think, to be lost in her thoughts. Living in her own head had changed everything. There was too much uncertainty in what escaping even meant for her. Getting out of here wasn't really part of her plan anymore, but she didn't know how to tell him that. How do you tell someone 'oh by the way, I'm actually dead' anyways? Sensing the change in her demeanor, Dean was concerned, but he dropped the topic, feeling as though they had enough emotional exchange by now.  
  
"You should get some rest, Slayer. I'll stand watch first." The name 'slayer' came out much softer than it had in previous days. It was a nice change of pace, and even better was that he hadn't called her 'sweetheart.'  
  
Her aching body begged her to agree, and she could barely keep her eyes open. Her instincts were to protect Dean, like he had been doing for her since their adventure in the sandy pit, but she wasn't sure she physically could. Her battered body won out this time. Staying close to the fire, Buffy curled up on the ground ready to get some sleep. Dean pulled his knife closer and fixed his eyes back to the fire. He may be tired but the first shift was going to be his. She had been through an ordeal today, and if she could handle that, then he could handle this.  
  
"Dean?" a small voice whispered.  
  
He wasn't used to hearing such a quiet sound come from this girl. He was used to her boisterous and vexing voice. He wasn't even entirely sure she had spoken at all.  
  
"Ya?"  
  
A beat. "Thanks."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For letting me sleep…and for saving me earlier."  
  
He smiled, "get some sleep, Slayer."  
  
"Wait."  
  
He looked at her brows furrowed.  
  
"Why did you save me?"  
  
Dean didn't like the chick-flick moment that was impending. He didn't feel like telling her that he needed her help. He didn't know how to tell her that he had started to really enjoy her company, hell he didn't know how to break that to himself even. So he did what Dean Winchester did best.  
  
"Oh c'mon, I couldn't let a fine ass like that die in a pit."  
  
Avoidance always worked, and he figured being creepy would stop her from asking any other questions about it. He paired the comment with his best crass grin, hoping that she wouldn't see through it and see that it was an act.  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes, she should have known she wouldn't get a straight answer from him. It was worth a try anyways, she supposed. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of an outraged response though. Instead she simply fell quiet until she eventually fell asleep. It didn't take long for her to slip into a heavy sleep, and the dreams were quick to follow.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
" _Until the blood stops flowing it'll never stop-"_  
  
" _Buffy - no!"_  
  
" _Dawnie - I have to…"_  
  
" _Be brave…"_  
  
Buffy woke to a start, gasping for air, trying to combat the feeling of falling. That night had been playing over and over for her ever since she had landed in Purgatory. She couldn't shake the memory of it. Some nights she swore she could feel the electricity ripping through her body as she soared through the air. There were a numerous amount of mornings that she woke up thinking she was about to hit the pavement at the end, though she had died long before she hit the ground. If it wasn't the feeling of falling that woke her, it was the feeling of hugging her sister again. A warmth remained in her arms that made her think of home.  
  
The name Dawn faintly lingering on her lips. Dean jumped at the outburst, thinking that she'd be out for a couple more hours.  
  
"What's wrong?" His worried eyes searching her surroundings, expecting something to be present.  
  
Embarrassment settled in as she realized where she was and that Dean had seen her little freak out. They had had their quotient for emotional moments already, and she wasn't really ready to hash out another. As long as he didn't ask about it, Buffy was more than happy to pretend that it never happened.  
  
" _At least until the next nightmare,"_  She thought to herself, grimacing at the thought.  
  
She sat up and stretched out her limbs, "Why don't we switch off, I'm obviously not going back to sleep now."  
  
"Feeling rested enough? I'm fine to stay up for a while longer."  
  
"Nah," she shook her head, "I'm rested fine. I need to move around for a bit anyways."  
  
"Alright, sounds good. Uh, who's Dawn?" His curiosity begging for an answer, but he didn't want to push her. She was obviously feeling uncomfortable and wasn't looking to hug it out anytime soon.  
  
"Dawn? She's…she's my sister. She's one of the ones back home. At least I think so. I hope so." She tripped on her words.  
  
"You hope?"  
  
Buffy shrugged, "well I mean, I don't really know if anyone is okay. I just have to hope they all are. Especially Dawn."  
  
If Dawn wasn't safe, then her sacrifice would have been for nothing. She would have let the world burn if it meant that Dawn would be okay. The idea that she lost anyone in that battle was too much to bear, but losing Dawn would destroy her. Buffy had decided long ago that believing that Dawn, Willow, Xander, that all of them were okay, was the only way she would be able to carry on. So that is what she did. There was no allowance for any other thoughts.  
  
Dean knew that feeling completely, and also knew that he wouldn't want to go any further into details about Sammy. The look of concern and pain etched on her face was familiar; he had the same look when it came to Sam. His interest in learning about her sister was outweighed by his interest in not letting too much on about Sam, so he let it go.  
  
Her comment did remind him that he wasn't sure about Sammy either, though. He could only hope that he was okay. That he wasn't somewhere in this world like he was. That he had escaped the battle with Cas. If he was here somewhere, chances were good that he would never find him. Dean was sure that without the slayer with him, he would have died much sooner. If Sam was alone…Dean wasn't sure he'd survive much better than Dean had. The idea that Sam could be here had to be shut down, and he had to at least pretend to be sure that Sam was back home. The doubt that accompanied those thoughts had to be pushed down. Thoughts like those threatened to break him, and there was no time for that.  
  
Shaking out of his thoughts, Dean tossed her the knife, "Alright, wake me when we're ready to move."  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
_"Cas?" Dean asked, his voice dripping with uncertainty._  
  
" _Hello Dean." The angel stood there, cloaked in his familiar trench coat._  
  
 _Castiel's voice was as even and casual as ever, which was in stark contrast to Dean's current feelings. He had never felt on edge as much as he did right now._  
  
" _What the hell, man? What happened? Where am I? Where's Sammy?"_  
  
" _Sam is fine, Dean. You are in Purgatory. This is where the blast sent you."_  
  
 _Dean slid his hand down across his mouth, "Well that's just great. Really, frickin' awesome. Well, at least I know she was right." The relief at Sam being okay was immense, but short lived._  
  
" _She? Ah yes, the slayer. You've found yourself a powerful ally in her. Stay with her. Be careful though, she is harbouring a wound that is much more severe than she wants you to know. She's not working to the best of her ability"_  
  
 _Dean was astounded, "This is her on an off day?" He had watched her battle, she was unreal. The legend didn't seem to do her justice._  
  
 _Castiel simply nodded, "But do not worry. She will help to keep you safe, and you must return the favour. She is to be important in the years to come. It is imperative that she is not lost. Dean, the reason I am talking to you now is of great importance, and I don't have a lot of time. Please listen."_  
  
" _I assume you're here to tell me how the hell you're gonna get me out of here?"_  
  
" _I wish it were that simple, Dean. I am unable to reach you. It is with a great deal of effort that I am able to reach you in this manner. I could lose contact at any moment and I may not be able to re-establish it again."_  
  
" _Then what, I'm doomed to gank demons in Purgatory with a deadly cheerleader for the rest of my life?" His head tilted back in defeat._  
  
" _No, there is an exit. It is well guarded, and will be quite the journey for the two of you. I believe you can reach it."_  
  
" _An exit?" Dean perked up, "now that's more like it. How do I find it?"_  
  
" _I cannot say. I have never been where you are. It is my understanding that slayers have an acute sense for the supernatural. I believe that she will be able to locate the portal. Then it will simply be a case of moving through it."_  
  
" _That's it? No weird rituals or artifacts required? Just walk into the portal?"_  
  
" _Yes. Once through it you will land in a limbo like plane."_  
  
" _Oh that's great. Limbo doesn't sound much better than this place," Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wanted to go home, not to another shitty dimension._  
  
" _Once you are there I will be able to reach you. I will be able to pull you back to your own world. That's the easy part, the hard part is up to you."_  
  
 _Dean sighed, "Okay. Any idea what this portal looks like?"_  
  
" _Dean, I must go, I'm losing connection. I'm sorry. Tell the slayer. She will help you"_  
  
" _Cas!"_  
  
It was too late though, Castiel was gone, and Dean had woken up.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
"How's your arm?"  
  
Dean grunted as he rinsed the caked on blood from the wound.  
  
"That good, huh?"  
  
"It'll be fine. It didn't manage to get into the muscle or anything. Mostly just cut up the first few layers of skin. Looks worse than it is."  
  
"You must have weakened it enough that it couldn't latch on. Good thing, too."  
  
Dean nodded, it was probably his saving grace. A full powered chomp onto his arm probably could have ripped it clean off of him. It dawned on him that they hadn't talked about any injuries the previous night, as they had been doing since they started together. Now with the information that Cas gave him about her and some wound that she was hiding, he felt like maybe they should have.  
  
"How about you? Any damage?"  
  
"No," she shook her head, "little stiff from my crash landing, but nothing I can't handle. I heal well."  
  
He looked at her, not really believing her, "No injury from the tail wrapping around you or anything? Nothing from in the pit?"  
  
"No," she spoke the word almost as a question, unsure of why he was taking such an interest all of the sudden.  
  
"Alright, good. Just checking. If you are hurtin' say so. We can take it easy."  
  
Buffy felt a little offended at that comment. A simple human suggesting that she, a slayer, might need to take it easy. He obviously didn't really understand who he was talking to.  
  
"I can handle myself," she huffed.  
  
Her tone halted any other questions dead in their tracks. Dean was pretty sure an angry slayer was dangerous, and he did not want to be on the receiving end of that. Plus he had more important things to address than her little self-righteous attitude.  
  
He figured that her anger was covering up that she was, in fact, wounded. Which meant that what he had heard from Cas was true, and if that was true, then maybe it wasn't just a dream. If it was more than a dream, then what Cas had said must be real, there was an exit from Purgatory. If there was an exit, then they had to start moving towards it. Enough time had already been wasted and they had to find it.  
  
It seemed like an impossible feat, but he knew from experience that determination was stronger than doubt. Knowing that Sammy was fine gave Dean some peace, and the idea of getting back to his brother was a powerful motivator. The hunter knew what his own determination was like, so he could only imagine what the Slayer's would be like. She had been away from home longer than he had, and she had people to get back to as well. The fighter in her would come out, and he hoped that an actual plan would drive them both. She wanted to return to Dawn as badly as he wanted to return to Sammy, of this he was certain. He couldn't help but marvel at the fact that, for once in his life, his goals lined up with the goals of another. Dean was starting to pick up on more and more similarities between the two of them. Maybe this partnership wasn't such a bad thing after all.  
  
Dean didn't want to think about how unlikely it was that they would survive long enough to make it through the exit. Even just finding the exit seemed hopeless, but who knew what they would find along the way. The portal itself could be enough to end their lives. The idea of getting home had been all that was keeping him going since he landed here, but now that he felt like it was in his grasp it became overwhelming. Cas believed that they could get to the exit, though, so that was enough for him. They were going to do this.


	10. On The Hunt

With the fire sufficiently burned out the two of them were up and on the move again. Each morning it was harder and harder to find the motivation to move. They kept walking vaguely in the same direction, or so they hoped, but it really didn't feel like it mattered. Everything looked the same as they wandered through the world, and they couldn't figure out if they were actually gaining any ground as they walked. Did it even matter? Where were they going? What was the point of constantly travelling, if in the end they got nowhere? They had been here for so long that it was really starting to wear on them, and what little hope they had had in the beginning seemed to have been extinguished long ago.  
  
Now some new information had arrived, and Dean expected it to make all the difference. A real sense of purpose could finally take hold. He was expecting the slayer to react with the same kind of excitement that he had felt, and he couldn't wait to share in her excitement.  
  
"An exit? Are you sure?"  
  
She was really asking if the information came from a reliable source, and he knew that because he would be questioning it too. Before he had met Cas if someone had told him that 'an angel came to me in my dreams and told me so,' he probably would have laughed in their face. Her doubt was expected and fair, but he had no time to entertain it. Despite everything that had happened, he still trusted Cas, and he didn't feel like he needed to explain his trust. Dean hadn't thought about the possibility that the slayer wouldn't trust his source, but he hoped that she would follow him on this one.  
  
"Yeah, I am."  
  
"Damn."  
  
Confusion crossed Dean's face, "contain your enthusiasm, Slayer."  
  
Buffy sighed, "I had heard something about an exit…"  
  
"What! And you didn't think about sharing that information?"  
  
"It was hardly a reliable source. Some vamp I took down shortly after getting here told me about it. Tried to get me to team up with him to find it, had quite the charm too. It was how soft spoken he was I guess, southern drawl and all. He was pretty convincing to be honest, but he just didn't want to die," Buffy looked apologetically at Dean, "I put it out of my mind pretty soon after that. Plans involving false hope are…toxic to say the least."  
  
Dean wanted to be mad about her not telling him, mad that he could have been working towards this exit the whole time. Maybe he should have been, but he couldn't bring himself to actually be mad at the blonde. She had been here so much longer than he had, she was battered and bruised, and she had only just started to soften again. If she had been working towards an exit that turned out to be non-existent, and was alone, it could have gotten her killed, if not from the monsters then the devastation. It had to be a self-preservation thing, and that he was able to understand. He especially didn't blame her for not wanting to believe some vampire. Hell, he probably wouldn't have given him the time of day either.  
  
It was hard to swallow that an exit had been on her radar before, but it was something he would have to accept. Not like they had been buddy-buddy anyways, and roles reversed he wasn't sure what he would have done in her shoes. With that Dean was able to let go of his frustration, but he still wasn't sure what to say in response.  
  
The silence became overwhelming for Buffy. This wasn't a comfortable silence like they had begun to enjoy, this was tense and uneasy. When Dean didn't begin to speak, Buffy cut the silence quickly.  
  
"So, skimming over  **how**  you got this information, because ya know, dream conversations I get, but angels?" Buffy shook her head, "That's a lot to take in. Did you happen to find out where this thing is supposed to be?"  
  
Buffy supposed she should have expected that angels were real. The monsters that people insisted didn't exist certainly did, so why not angels too. She wondered where these angels had been during the mess that had been her life. No sense in dwelling on it, but still she couldn't help but think about all the death and destruction she had witnessed, with not even a hint of some divine intervention.  
  
Dean scratched the back of his head, "Not so much. Apparently your slayer senses should pick up on it though."  
  
"Oh great, no pressure," the implications of that statement hit her hard. "What if I can't find it?"  
  
Buffy had full faith in her senses. She had trained with Giles for years, and since being here they had been honed to be sharper than they had ever been. She was a better slayer for being here, of that she was sure. Buffy had trusted her instincts time and time again, and it seemed that they only failed her when she doubted them. Her concern wasn't stemmed in any sort of doubt in her own abilities. No, the fear that started deep in her gut and washed over her entire body came from something much more selfish and deep seated than that.  
  
She was afraid to let Dean down.  
  
If she hadn't have been able to find the exit for herself, that was one thing. It would be disheartening to fail to return home because of her own botched attempt, but at least it would be only her that was affected. If she couldn't find it when someone else was counting on her? Buffy wasn't sure she could swallow that kind of failure. There had been too much of that in her life lately. She failed to keep Riley. Failed to save her mother. Failed to protect Dawn. Her failures had been piling up for years. How could she let yet another person down?  
  
Dean looked like a kid on Christmas morning, and that only made it harder for her. The look on his face told her that he fully believed that she could do this. It looked like the thought of failure hadn't even crossed his mind. She wondered if he would feel the same if he had known all the times she had failed to keep someone safe.  
  
"You haven't steered us wrong yet," Dean nodded, "you got this."  
  
Buffy resolved that no matter what happened, she would not be adding this to her long, long list of failures. Not now. Not his name. Not ever. He had been let down enough in his life, of that she was certain, and she didn't want to be added to his own list either. Neither of them could take another failure.  
  
Plus she was pretty sure his disappointed look would be able to drop puppies and make angels cry.  
  
She let out a deep breath, "I guess that means I need to come up with a plan then?"  
  
"Would be good. The faster we find it, the faster we get home."  
  
We. He said we. Once again she knew she should tell Dean that she didn't really want to get out anymore, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything. She would get him out of here, and she didn't want to spend time trying to convince him that she would. If he knew she didn't need the exit for herself, he may doubt her commitment to finding it. There was no reason for him to doubt her, but hunters weren't known for their faith in people. She figured that information could wait, and she would cross that bridge when they got to it.  
  
"I'm not really much of the planning girl. I'm more like the 'point me in the face of danger and I'll beat it to death' girl," Buffy lamented. "Guess I can do what I'd do when research was a drag."  
  
"And that would be?"  
  
Buffy shrugged, "Beat someone for information."  
  
Dean laughed, "I like your style."  
  
It was a laugh she hadn't heard from him before. It was less cynical, and almost light. She liked it. Buffy didn't have time to enjoy it though. They had to set off in search of some vampires, or at least a creature that could speak. Most of the vampires had steered clear of her here, they knew what she was and they knew enough to be afraid of her. Most monsters that she recognized from home had done so, actually. The only ones that were brave enough to take her on were things she had never seen before. It would be easy to track something down, though. She had seen vampires and werewolves skirting the edges around them as they traveled, trying to stay just out of sight. If they knew who she was she figured they would know that she could sense them, too. Then again, creatures weren't really known for being terribly smart.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
"This is ridiculous," Dean muttered under his breath.  
  
He was sitting on the ground leaning against a tree on the edge of a spot of woods. His knife was laid out next to him, about six inches away. His arms were crossed, his ankles were crossed, and his head was tilted back with closed eyes. Dean did his best to minimize himself as a threat while he sat there.  
  
" _Bait. I'm fucking bait. Why did I agree to this? Fucking stupid,"_  He thought to himself.  
  
He hoped he wouldn't have to sit here long. If the Slayer had been right, the vamps would be on him as soon as they were sure that she was nowhere near. They knew who she was, but they didn't know a Winchester by sight alone. The decision to use that to their advantage was an obvious one, but it didn't mean he liked it. He knew that the Slayer wasn't too far away, and he trusted her to stop anything from happening to him, but being bait was not on Dean's list of "fun pass-times."  
  
His trust in her ability paired with sitting in the same place for as long as he did caused his entire body to relax. It must have been a couple of hours before he started to doze off, even though it was against every instinct that John had engrained in Dean growing up. He didn't get a chance to enjoy the sleep, however. As soon as his guard dropped that little bit a vampire skulked out of the woods behind him and latched onto his shoulder. Dean's eyes flew open as he began his takedown motion.  
  
He didn't have time to connect with the vampire though, as Buffy dropped onto the vampire from the same tree that Dean had been leaning on. The blur of motion threw him off kilter, and when he regained his balance he found the blonde sitting on the vampire's back, forcing it's face into the ground. The vampire tried to struggle, but the Slayer showed no signs of loosening her grip, even as the vampire snarled and thrashed.  
  
"Knew you were going to stay close, but damn Slayer."  
  
"Wasn't taking any chances in case more than one made a move," she said to Dean, smiling up at him. She then turned her attention back to the vampire she had pinned below her. "It's hard to make friends when you keep struggling like this, ya know? I just wanna talk," Buffy taunted with an innocent voice.  
  
"Go to hell, Slayer," the vampire hissed.  
  
"Well that doesn't sound very fun. This place is as close as I'd like to get. I would gladly leave this place if I could though. Which hey, that's what I wanted to talk about!"  
  
Dean was amused by her flippant attitude towards the deadly creature. Sure, compared to the things they had been dealing with regularly, a vampire seemed like child's play, but it was still a dangerous monster. It was a different side of her than he had seen so far, and it was kinda nice. She was great at what she did, watching her fight was incredible, but up until then she had been like a robot, devoid of any emotion as she fought. Dean respected the hunt, he had been trained to do so by his father, but that didn't mean they couldn't have a little fun with it, and if teasing a vampire or delivering some puns with your punches took the edge off, then so be it. John would be appalled.  
  
"Too bad you're stuck here just like we all are now, bitch," the vampire spit the words out while craning her neck to a sick angle.  
  
"Now see, I've heard differently, and I think you know all about the exit. How are we supposed to be friends if you lie to me? Rude," Buffy placed a crude stake on the vampires back, roughly where her heart would be. Dean figured she must have carved it while he slept one night, old habits did die hard. "C'mon, just tell me about this exit and I won't kill you."  
  
"Slayer?" Dean was surprised that she'd offer to let a thing like this live. The look that she shot him stopped him from questioning her further.  
  
"Uh-oh, you're boyfriend doesn't sound like he likes that plan," the vampire laughed.  
  
The stake pushed in further, just breaking the skin, "Exit. Where. Now."  
  
"Bite. Me." She mocked back.  
  
The vampire bucked upwards, causing the stake to plunge deep through her back and into her chest cavity. She was nothing but dust now, and they were no closer to finding the way out than they had been beforehand.  
  
As Buffy dusted off, Dean helped her to stand up.  
  
"Damnit. Didn't see that one coming," Buffy said, disappointment obvious in her voice.  
  
"Then we find another one that's more agreeable. We'll get there."  
  
Buffy gave him a half-smile, but her face was still sullen. He didn't like seeing her beat herself up like this. Dean reached out, placing two fingers under her chin to lift her face up so he could meet her eyes. She tried to avoid eye contact, but ended up meeting his gaze anyways.  
  
"We got this. You got this."  
  
A long pause hung in the air between them until the bushes behind them rustled loudly, causing Buffy to spin around at break-neck speed.  
  
"C'mon out, ugly. I am in no mood to play hide-and-seek," Buffy called out, annoyance in her voice.  
  
A dark haired vampire emerged from the bushes, and Dean readied himself to fight. That is, until he heard the gasp the small slayer emitted in front of him.  
  
"Ford?"  
  
"Hey, Summers. Bet ya never thought you'd see me again."  
  
"You know that thing?" Dean was shocked to be asking that question.  
  
But Buffy wasn't there to answer anymore, she had already bounded over to the vamp she had referred to as Ford and wrapped her arms around him. He arched his eyebrow when he saw the vamp lift her up and she didn't even flinch. Weren't slayers meant to kill these things?  
  
"I thought that you might be here somewhere! I woulda looked for you but I didn't exactly have your forwarding address," Buffy smiled as she was set down by the vamp.  
  
"Ya, this place isn't really much for finding people. Or finding anything for that matter." His light tone of voice shifted to a heavier one, "what are you doing here? I thought you were, ya know, the good guy."  
  
Buffy wasn't sure how to answer that question, and simply gave a shrug of her shoulders and a sad shake of her head. Ford seemed to understand the answer as he replied with a sympathetic nod.  
  
"Sorry to spoil the moment here, but…what the hell!?" Dean had had enough of listening to the two of them talk already.  
  
"Oh! Dean, this is Ford! We went to high school together. Crazy, right?"  
  
"Sure ya, that's the crazy part. Mind telling me why you're all buddy-buddy with a fuckin' vamp?"  
  
"We were friends before that, Dean. We all make stupid choices, ya can't punish someone forever."  
  
"Choices? As in he  **chose**  to be a monster?"  
  
It was harder to answer that question that Buffy would have liked. She remembered the last encounter with Ford well, and it was not a pleasant memory. At the time she had figured that he wanted her to hate him, and as the years went on she was sure that was the case. She kind of hated herself for what had happened. She couldn't save him then, and she couldn't save him after he turned. That wound took a long time to heal, and it was a moment that left her questioning her life as a slayer. She was always saving people, most of whom she had never met. When it came down to it, she couldn't help someone that she loved. If she couldn't help the ones that she cared about when it really mattered, then what use was it to have this power?  
  
It had been one of the hardest things she had ever done. It had been years and she still remembered sitting by his grave, waiting for him to rise, only to stake him immediately. That wait had felt like an eternity, and turning him to dust felt like it was in slow motion. She hadn't known it at the time, but that night had prepared her for a lot of things that she ended up having to do. It was one of the worst parts of being a slayer, but it had to be done. Ford didn't know it, but he taught her a lot in that moment.  
  
"Okay, sensing some hostility here," Ford started.  
  
"Ya think?" Dean sneered.  
  
"Look, I didn't know it was you out here, Summers. I was gonna leave you guys alone until I heard what you were asking that chick about."  
  
"The escape hatch?" Buffy glared at Dean and returned her gaze to Ford.  
  
Ford nodded, "It does exist, you're right about that. I know roughly where it is. It may not be exact, but it'd be a start." When Buffy perked up Ford continued, "there's a double river that cuts this place in half. It runs east/west, and it leads right to the mountains. I don't know where it is exactly, but I know that if you follow that river towards the mountains, you'll come across it."  
  
"If you know this, why haven't you gone to find it?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Wouldn't matter if I did," Ford shrugged, "only humans can get through. It's a kind of fail-safe, I guess."  
  
"It is real though?" This time it was Dean's turn to ask a question, still doubting the vampire's honesty.  
  
"Ya, it is. Plenty of creatures have tried their luck to pass through it. None were able to. Guess they got zapped if they got too close. My guess is it has some sort of humanity check. Pretty smart actually. Things that end up here really shouldn't ever leave." Ford's question came with a pointed tone, making sure to jab at Dean, "So, how come  **you're**  here?"  
  
Dean was somewhat amused that the vamp thought it was funny. "Oh ya know, pissed off the wrong ancient evil. Didn't ya know this is where they send the really dangerous hunters?" It wasn't exactly the truth, but he wanted to get his point across to Ford. He was not to be messed with.  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes as the two boys figuratively puffed up their chests, both trying to out-macho the other. Ridiculous. She was about to call them out on it when a branch broke off in the distance causing Ford to nearly jump out of his skin.  
  
"Look, I gotta go. The monsters here aren't gonna be happy I told you this, and I really shouldn't be seen talking to the slayer and a hunter. Good luck, Summers. I hope you find your way outta here. No one deserves to be stuck here, least of all you."  
  
Buffy smiled, "Thanks, Ford." She paused, "for what it's worth. That night? Killed me a little, too."  
  
Ford gave a bittersweet smile to the blonde, "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry. For everything. Eternity gives you a lot of time to think about your fuck ups."  
  
"Take care, Ford."  
  
Ford slunk back into the bush and was gone from sight before Buffy could even blink. Her mind was reeling. She had figured that this is where monsters ended up, but now she was wondering how many other foes that she had faced had ended up here. The thought of rehashing any old battles scared her, but Ford was right, finding anything here was near impossible. If any of them were here, it was unlikely they would find each other. Then another thought hit her head. If she had ended up here, did Kendra as well? If there was anyone who didn't deserve to end up here, it was her. The thought that she could be, or worse, had been, made her sick to her stomach. Another failure on her list.  
  
She turned to face Dean, hoping that she wouldn't have to explain Ford to him. Hoping that it wouldn't be another fight between them. It had hurt her more than she'd admit to see Ford again, and she wasn't up for a fight about it right now. Dean must have sensed that, as he simply shrugged his shoulders as a way of passing off what had just transpired. If Buffy hadn't been so off balance she may have heard the slow ticking of the bomb that was Dean Winchester's patience for demons and those who associated with them. She didn't even realize that there was a fight lurking below the surface that threatened to blow at any minute. Her saving grace right now was that Dean's hatred of creatures was far outweighed by his need to get home. At least for now.  
  
"Well you heard him, let's get a move on. Have you seen this river he was talking about?"  
  
Buffy shook her head, "No, I haven't seen any rivers actually." She realized then how odd that was, considering how many lakes she had come across.  
  
"How the hell are we supposed to find this thing then?" Dean was exasperated.  
  
"Yeah, a couple of signs would be great. Maybe even a landmark or two."  
  
Even when they got a break, it still felt hopeless. They had been wandering for ages and had never seen a hint of a river. They didn't even know if they were moving through new regions each day, or just circling the same area. It was hard to tell where they were, and where to even begin.  
  
"Well. We need to move either north or south to find it. Which is this way," Dean stretched his arms out towards the north and the south.  
  
"It is?"  
  
"Sun rises thatta way," Dean pointed to the east side.  
  
"So we're assuming that the sun moves the same way here as at home?"  
  
"May as well. Unless you have a better idea?" Sensing actual direction was more Sam's gig, so Dean did what he could.  
  
Buffy shrugged, "fair. So we've been moving vaguely this way-ish, may as well continue then? No sense in moving backwards."  
  
"Worst case we move towards the mountains and circle back around until we find it. Got nothin' but time on our hands anyways."  
  
The plan was pretty crude, but it satisfied the two of them well enough. Dean was right, they had nothing better to do than wander looking for this thing. She could only hope that they would find minimal monsters to fight between here and there. That was unlikely and she knew it, but a girl could dream, right?  
  
They had learned to survive better the last few days, and that was making all the difference. Having learned how to have a fire at night without drawing attention was a huge feat on its own, and she was really appreciating that. They had also started to fight the monsters together, using each other rather than working around each other. At this point she felt like they were unstoppable. It may have been a mistake to feel that way, but she felt like making it to the exit was only a matter of time. She was going to get Dean home.


	11. Road to Nowhere

**Chapter Ten – Road to Nowhere**  
  
"It feels like we've been walking for months," Dean groaned, kicking some dirt up with his boot.  
  
"My logicy side wants to say that it's only been a week or so, but every other side of me agrees. I'm starting to feel like we should have dragged Ford with us for this. He better not have lied to me."  
  
Dean's face tightened at the mention of the vampire and he balled his fists. The idea that they were taking some vamp's word on the exit was one thing that he could live with. What was unbearable was the idea that they had let him live, that the slayer seemed to be friends. How could someone befriend a vampire? A monster? Of all people how could a slayer, one that was assigned to hunt these things, be friendly with them? If they came across this vampire again there was no way Dean was letting him go again, whether the slayer agreed with him or not. Things like that were not meant to continue to live, not even here.  
  
Knowing he had to say something, Dean mustered a simple "I wish we had more to go on," instead of saying " _Oh a lying vampire, who would have guessed"_  that he wanted to say.  
  
"This is why I ignored any hint towards an escape hatch. Hope breeds eternal misery and all that," Buffy sighed, "not like we'd stop moving this way anyways I guess."  
  
"Just gives us something to look for while we wander. I dunno about you, but I couldn't take another game of I spy," Dean joked, trying to shake out of his sour mood.  
  
Buffy giggled, "Ya, only so many trees and bushes you can choose from."  
  
Dean took a moment to enjoy her laughter. It was melodic in a way, and was something he hadn't heard from her yet. It was a sweet sound, and it was to feel the mood lighten. Something about her laugh was heartwarming, running straight to his core. It was a laugh that was so quintessentially her. Just for that moment, it was easy to forget that she was designed to be a monster hunter, and to see her as the girl that she could have been. Dean didn't know it at the time, but it was a laugh that would be committed to his memory permanently. Suddenly his bad mood seemed to dissipate.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
The idea that they could run into the big bads that they had already faced was terrifying, and left them both concerned as to who they could run into. Deep down they had both known that it was a very real possibility, but seeing Ford here did nothing but make that fear a reality. Neither of them wanted to talk about their old battles, but both knew that each other's history could be their undoing.  
  
Buffy's brain was going through years and years worth of baddies that would be more than happy to take another swing at her. The Master, Mr. Trick, Adam, and a countless number of vampires and creatures. She shuddered at the idea of coming face to face with any of The Gentleman again, or even Der Kindestod. Kakistos was another that she dreaded seeing. He was one that she had not defeated the first time, and she was unsure if she would be able to this time, given the opportunity. There wasn't a single villain she had faced in her years that she was prepared to see again. Would this be where the Judge stayed until he was put back together again? That question was one she wished she would not have to answer.  
  
Dean found himself plagued with the same thoughts, knowing he also had a great number of things that would be looking to have his head on a pike. Since that would hinder his advance to the exit, he figured this was something he wished to avoid. Lilith, Ruby, Azazel, Dick Roman. Dean dreaded the idea of running into any of his old foes, but those scared him the most. In this situation he wasn't sure that he'd be able to survive a battle with them again. If he had enemies as powerful as this, he could only imagine what the slayer had left behind her.  
  
The idea of discussing these old villains was not one that thrilled Dean, but he knew that their survival hinged on knowing what they may come up against. He was wrestling with the idea of asking her what she was afraid of running into when he noticed that the slayer had stopped walking and was leaning forwards with her hands on her knees.  
  
"You good, Slayer?"  
  
"Ya, ya I'm good," Buffy exhaled a deep breath, "just need a minute."  
  
Dean couldn't ignore his concern with Cas' warning about her injury repeating in his head. If this had been Sam he would have already dealt with the injury, but this wasn't Sam, and he couldn't yell at her like he would his little brother. He didn't know how to broach the subject with this girl, but it looked like it was time to do so now, whether he liked it or not. He was about to open his mouth when she shot straight back up, her eyes darting around.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Do you hear that?"  
  
Dean paused, listening carefully. A slight breeze rustled through the leaves on the trees, but other than that, there was a silence all around them. He shook his head no, looking to the slayer again.  
  
Buffy's brows furrowed, "I swear I can hear running water. You really don't hear that?"  
  
Dean took a look around, maybe he couldn't hear as well as she did, but he had hoped he would be able to pick up on something. He placed his hand above his eyes to shade them from the sun, but nothing new came into focus. If she could hear something, it was out of his range. When Dean turned back to her he saw nothing but the back of her head disappear into the woods.  
  
"Damnit. Slayer! Wait up!" He scurried after her. No way was he losing track of her now.  
  
When Dean caught up to the small girl, easy to find because of the stark contrast between the dark foliage and her bright blonde hair, she was standing and staring at two rivers, flowing next to each other but never touching. The water ran quickly, with a turbulence that could be hazardous to anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves tripping into the water. He couldn't believe his eyes. It was almost as beautiful as the first lake he laid his eyes on here, and just as much his saviour. The cool air coming off the water kissed his face, and it felt like relief.  
  
"You found it," he said, the amazement in his voice obvious.  
  
"We did. I just heard it sooner," she turned to face him, a wide smile on her face, "we found it!"  
  
Buffy's joy got the best of her and she bounced towards the hunter, throwing her arms around his shoulders. Dean, caught up in the moment, wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, returning the embrace. He let out a laugh as she squeezed him back. Buffy's senses returned to her as she let go of Dean, coming down off of her tiptoes, a slight pink hue to her cheeks.  
  
"Oh, sorry. Excitement got the better of me. Anyways," she tried to play it off, "should we start to follow it?"  
  
Dean nodded, "let's move back into the woods a ways though, being right next to the water puts us out in the open."  
  
Buffy's smile returned to her face, "You were listening that day! I'm pleased." She had told him about seeing the creatures camping around the lakes. Buffy had assumed he wasn't listening since he didn't even look at her while she spoke. Turns out he had. It was an odd pride that washed over her.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
"Wait, hold on," Buffy stopped, her hands on her knees again.  
  
"Slayer, this is the third time since we found the river. You sure you're okay?"  
  
"Peachy with a side of keen," she said through gritted teeth.  
  
"You're a shitty liar. It's your side, isn't it?"  
  
Up until today he hadn't been sure where this supposed injury was, and he had been watching closely since getting Cas' warning. Now he had seen her favouring her side, grabbing at it as she took a breather. He wasn't positive that it was her side, but he was ready to get to the bottom of this finally.  
  
"What? No, really. I'm just tired. We've been going non-stop for ages now. Slayer stamina is good, but not that good."  
  
Dean rolled his eyes, and quickly lashed his hand out. The back of his hand barely grazed her side where he had seen her favouring when she stopped to catch her breath. She cried out at the contact, wincing and grabbing onto her side. The sound that escaped her lips made Dean frown. Even though he knew that ultimately causing this pain would help her, he didn't like being the one to make her cry out like that.  
  
"Right. Let me see it."  
  
"No, it's fine."  
  
He raised his eyebrow, and moved his hand to do the same thing again, temporarily forgetting his own discomfort at her pain. This time her hand shot out and grabbed his. Her reflexes were obviously fine, and so was her grip he realized as he began to lose circulation to his hand. Dean had never experienced her strength first hand, and after this he hoped to never be on the receiving end again. He thought back to their first encounter by the lake and realized how much she had held back when attacking him that time. Now that he understood that, he may have taken offense that she had done so, but mostly he was relieved. She could have killed him without breaking a sweat, of that he was certain.  
  
"Slayer, hey," Dean wriggled his hand until she let go.  
  
"Sorry!" She let go, "okay, you're right. This thing isn't healing. I don't know why."  
  
He had seen nearly every inch of her covered in one type of wound or another in the time they had been hunting together. Hell, he had seen her pop a few dislocations back into place like it was nothing. He had seen her injuries heal within a day or two, so it was concerning that there was something severe enough to slow her down. She seemed to wrestle with herself briefly, and then her shoulders sunk as one side of her internal argument beat out the other. She rolled her shirt up so that Dean could see the wound, not hazarding a glance herself.  
  
"Is it bad?"  
  
Dean couldn't believe what he was seeing. Cas was right, the injury was brutal. How she'd been able to ignore it was unbelievable. The line curled around her side, obviously deep and jagged. The edges were discoloured, and that discolouration carried through into the uninjured skin. It looked like part of it had healed, and then been tainted by the gash reopening a few times over. He had never seen anything like it, and that was saying something. Sam, his father, and Dean had all suffered some severe wounds in their time, both at the hands of demons and each other. He thought he had seen the worst several times over, but what the blonde was sporting seemed to put them all to shame. Sure he had seen worse before, but never on a living person. Dean wasn't sure if he was more impressed or alarmed.  
  
He remembered the winged beast grabbing her around her waist and winced internally at that thought. It must have grabbed her tight, and he assumed that was a large part of why the bruising was so severe still. He mentally kicked himself for not noticing sooner. She slept on her side most nights, but never this side. She always kept him on the same side as the wound, keeping it shielded from outside attacks. The slayer was smart to keep it protected, but not telling him was ridiculous. He figured it was to avoid looking weak, but he couldn't imagine hiding a wound like that. If Sam had pulled a stunt like this, he would lose his shit. This was not Sam, but he couldn't help but feel the same aggravation and concern for this girl.  
  
"When did this happen?"  
  
"Before we met up."  
  
"That long?" Realization sunk in. This was the same wound he had hit and caused to bleed when they first met up. He had figured that wound had healed by now, and that this would be something newer. It made sense, though, that this was the same injury as he hadn't seen anything else attack this side. She had been so careful to not let it be exposed and she had been hiding it since day one.  
  
"What did this?"  
  
"One of the creatures with the barbed tails caught me off-guard. Sunk a claw into my side before I could counter. It was stupid, and it nearly got me killed that night."  
  
Buffy mentally kicked herself for that night again. She had allowed herself to be overwhelmed and it was a rookie mistake. Remembering all the battles she did alone made her realize again how much she needed Dean. She hadn't suffered another injury like this one since, and she knew that was largely due to having a partner. A slayer admitting she needed help was probably blasphemous to whatever it was that created the line, but Buffy had long stopped caring what the Watchers and such thought. The facts were that she needed a human's help, and that her slayer strength wasn't quite enough to keep her alive.  
  
It was the first time since they started on the road to finding the exit that Buffy became scared. Scared of what would happen when Dean went home, leaving her behind. She wasn't even sure if she would survive after he left, but it sure beat the unknown. A little selfishly maybe, but Buffy was also a little afraid of the loneliness that was sure to plague her once she was alone again. She had become oddly attached to the hunter, and would be sad to see him go. Buffy scolded herself silently for feeling this way, and tried to put the thoughts out of her mind.  
  
Her fears would have to be addressed another day, because right now Buffy was under scrutiny for the wound on her side. Some venom must have been deposited by the tail's barbs. It was the only explanation the two could come up with as to why her slayer healing hadn't mended it yet. Of course taking hit after hit on it wasn't helping matters either. Dean knew that if they were going to get out, she was going to need to be fighting to the best of her ability. Plus he really wanted to see a slayer in full action. He bet that was a sight to behold.  
  
Despite her arguing, he took her back to the river to give the wound a thorough rinsing out. He was surprised that she didn't flinch back from his touch. If he had an injury like that, he wasn't sure he could handle someone touching it, let alone his touch, which he was sure was much rougher than he intended it to be. She was tough, he'd give her that. Dean kept it all business, he didn't want to give her the wrong impression, but he couldn't help but notice how soft her unmarred skin was. They were battling through hell, figuratively speaking, but she still felt velvety soft. He had to give his head a shake to keep focused on the task at hand. What he wouldn't give for a first aid kit of any sort.  
  
Buffy felt exposed and small. She didn't like this sort of attention, and she didn't like that she wasn't healing. Slayers were meant to be resilient, not fall victim to stupid gashes. Silently she cursed herself for not being able to keep up her charade. He never would have figured it out if she hadn't kept getting stitches in her side. It was that damn winged thing that aggravated the wound over again. Buffy did have to admit though, he was much gentler working with the injury than she would have expected from a hunter. Maybe she would have to reconsider how she felt about hunters. At least this one.  
  
She was about to lower her shirt back down when Dean stopped her.  
  
"What are you doing?" Buffy watched him curiously.  
  
Dean had removed his jacket and his plaid button up shirt, leaving him just in a black t-shirt. He buttoned the plaid shirt up and folded it in half.  
  
"C'mere," he signalled Buffy to move closer to him again. Any argument that lurked under her surface dissipated due to the soft quality to his voice. It was charming and disarmed her. Damn him.  
  
He took the shirt and wrapped it around her middle, covering the majority of the gash with the body of the shirt. The sleeves wrapped around her waist again, and he tied it tightly just to the side of the injury site. She rolled her own shirt back down while he pulled his jacket back on.  
  
"That should help keep the grime out. It's not gauze, but it'll do. We'll clean it more often now that you're not hiding it from me."  
  
Buffy looked sheepish, "Thanks, Dean."  
  
Who would have guessed that Dean would care enough to tend to her wound? How cute.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
It was an easy decision to stop moving after the first aid session, and look for a camp spot. It could take them a while to find a secluded spot, and Dean wanted her to take a breather. Buffy tried to argue, she didn't mind stopping for the night, but it didn't need to be because of her. Even she knew, however, that her argument had no ground. Dean wouldn't accept anything she had to say, and if she had kept up her disagreement much longer he may have resorted to carrying her off to find a rest stop. Guilt welled up from her gut for making them stop for the night. Progress was slow as it was, she didn't want to slow it down further because of a silly injury.  
  
Unfortunately, they were not lucky enough to find a cave or alcove they could use to shelter themselves. It would be a fireless night again, much to the dismay of both Buffy and Dean. They had gotten rather comfortable with their fires, and it had made it easier to forget the hell that they found themselves in. They did, however, find a small secluded spot within the trees that was just off of the beaten path. It wasn't much, but it was better than being out in the opening. The vicinity was still, and there were no eyes watching them as they circled through the bushes. It seemed like a decent place to stop, even if it didn't have walls. The two chose to sit opposite of each other to keep their range of vision as wide as possible.  
  
The silence that had plagued their rest stops for the first part of their travels was nowhere to be found anymore. Dean was quick to begin a conversation once they were settled into their spot.  
  
"Ya know, this reminds me of a hunt my Dad and I were on once."  
  
Buffy was surprised, Dean hadn't said much about his life yet, for obvious reasons. They had discussed killing techniques, but hadn't really talked about much else.  
  
"What kinda hunt?"  
  
"Small town in Georgia had a string of weird deaths. Maulings, people going missing. When Dad and I rolled into town it took no time at all to find out that they were all camping in the same woods when they were attacked. The bodies were shredded, and the town seemed to think there was a pack of wild dogs on the loose."  
  
"Werewolf?"  
  
A panic struck her, but quickly subsided. Oz hadn't killed anyone ever, and she doubted he had started now. She knew Dean was less than amused that she had been friendly with a vampire, she figured he wouldn't take her friendship with a werewolf much better. Cain had hunted Oz to her town because he was a werewolf, and she couldn't imagine the rest of the hunter community felt much different than he had.  
  
It made her sad to think that she really had no idea where Oz was anymore. She hoped that he was doing okay in the world. If she ended up in Purgatory, she feared that one day this is where he would end up too. This is where Angel would go, Spike. God, what an awful thought. Would Anya go here as well, once she finally died? Or would she be considered a human at death? It was alarming to think that it was possible this is where Dawn would end up, too. Buffy would give anything to go back to knowing nothing of this place, even just to quiet her fears. Her people deserved so much more than this place.  
  
Her thoughts were quickly silenced by Dean continuing his story.  
  
"That was our first thought, but they didn't match up with a full moon. Our next thought was a Wendigo."  
  
"Of course, what else could it be?"  
  
"You have no clue what that is, do you?" Dean grinned as she blushed slightly, "Doesn't matter. We were wrong anyways. Of course our plan was to pose as campers. So we're out in the woods, it's dark and sweltering hot, and we're at each other's throats. We were probably about to kill each other when we heard the howl."  
  
"Hellhound?" She ventured another guess.  
  
"Close. It's vicious cousin, a barghest. Dad knew the sound immediately. That man had like a catalogue of monster sounds in his head. It was unreal."  
  
Buffy smiled, sounded like Giles. "So what happened?"  
  
"Well we ganked it of course."  
  
It was rare that he didn't talk about the fight itself. He must have shared the story for a different reason.  
  
"So why does this remind you of that?"  
  
Dean shrugged, "Dad insisted having a fire would draw the wrong attention, or bring a whole pack down on us. It was hot enough that a fire would have been brutally hot, but it was so dark that I couldn't see a thing. Nearly shot his foot off trying to nail the barghest," Dean laughed, "man he was pissed."  
  
Buffy smiled, "I took down a few hellhounds once."  
  
Dean's eyes went wide, "no way!"  
  
"Yup," Buffy nodded, "someone trained them to attack the prom. Took 'em down outside of my high school and still made it in time for the dance." The pride was obvious in her voice, but she was trying not to be too boastful.  
  
"That's…amazing. You're incredible you know that?" He thought he could see her blush.  
  
"But if you wanna talk about being stuck in the woods and fighting with someone, I should tell you about Slayerfest."  
  
She was partway through telling him the story when they heard a familiar sound that created a pit in both of their stomachs. Wings flapping.  
  
"Oh fuck," Dean jumped to his feet.  
  
"Maybe it won't spot us," Buffy hoped, also raising to her feet.  
  
They stood in that position for an intolerable amount of time, listening to the wings circle them several times over. Then they heard a strange whining howl from above before hearing the wings take off away from them. Once they were sure that the sound was not returning they lowered themselves back down to the ground.  
  
"What was that?" Dean asked, still eyeing the sky.  
  
Buffy shrugged, "dunno. Maybe it couldn't see us."  
  
Neither of them bought that as the truth, but it satisfied them enough to allow them to relax.  
  
"Get some sleep, Dean. It's your turn to sleep first."  
  
"Sure. Wake me if shit goes down."  
  
"You wish." She winked as she took the knife from him.  
  
She knew that she should get some sleep, but Buffy had no intention of waking Dean until it was time to move again. He had insisted on stopping for her that day, and they had lost a lot of time because of it. She appreciated his concern, and understood his reasoning, but still didn't like it. She felt guilty that they could have made more progress than they did. Dean would probably be cranky that she didn't wake him, but she could live with that. Cranky men were nothing new.


	12. River Deep, Mountain High

**Chapter Eleven – River Deep, Mountain High**  
  
She was right, he was cranky. How could someone sleep that much and be cranky about it? Why couldn't he just be grateful for the sleep? Thankfully he wasn't upset enough to make them move in silence, she didn't think she could handle going back to silence after they had been conversing the last while. They traversed the terrain carefully, trying to avoid drawing attention to themselves, always keeping the river within sight. Or at very least within earshot. There was no way they were losing it now. Buffy's slayer senses began to set alarms off in her head as they moved, signaling that they were getting close to something, and something more than just the creatures they had been fighting.  
  
The louder the alarms got, the closer they got to the exit, the more creatures began to show up. They managed to avoid most of them, but there were still several battles per day. Each battle seemed tougher than the last, but they weren't willing to slow down. Her wound slowed her down immensely, but the determination the two of them shared more than compensated for that. They dispatched anything and everything all while barely breaking a sweat. They were so close, there was no way they were losing the war now.  
  
"Is it just me, or is it just getting darker, and not in the night kinda way?" Buffy asked, looking up to the sky.  
  
Dean nodded, "must mean we're getting close. How's those slayer senses?"  
  
"They're wigging out big time."  
  
"I still can't believe the vamps were right."  
  
"You'd be surprised how honest they actually can be, for undead morons," Buffy shrugged. "Some are actually helpful sometimes."  
  
"I find that hard to believe."  
  
"No, it's true." Explaining Spike, or even Angel for that matter, was hard, she knew a hunter would never understand, but she figured it could do no harm. "I had a couple I worked with back home. One protected my sister with his life. Or unlife, I guess."  
  
Dean was astounded, and he didn't know by what part of that story more. Buffy hadn't heard the ticking of the bomb below Dean's surface before, and she didn't now, but she was about to hear it blow. Meeting Ford had put Dean on edge, but he figured that one vampire she didn't kill was one thing. Finding out that not only was there more than one, but that she put her little sister in danger? That was too much. He was already unhappy that she didn't get any rest the night before, but now he was livid.  
  
"You left your sister with a bloodsucker? Okay what the fuck? I thought you were the slayer? Did you misunderstand your job description or something?"  
  
"Excuse me?" She was astounded by the tone of voice he was taking with her.  
  
"Last I checked the lion doesn't make friends with the gazelle it's hunting."  
  
"It's different with them!" She would defend Angel and Spike to the ends of the Earth. It was hard to explain to someone who had never met them, but she wouldn't let them be bashed either.  
  
"Vampires are vampires. They're evil. Evil must die. Black and white. 'Different' doesn't exist."  
  
"How dare you pass judgement on someone you never met? Who are you to say what they were, what they are?" Buffy was furious now, "black and white doesn't exist ever, especially not in the supernatural world. There are so many shades of grey, and thank god for that. Do you have any idea how much good those "evil vampires" did?"  
  
"Oh what, they didn't snap your neck first chance they got so they should get a fuckin' medal? I'll ignore the fact that you seem to think that those fanged bastards can be anything but vermin that need to be put down, but what I can't ignore is your sister. You left your sister, the one you're meant to protect, with a fucking vampire. How could you do that? You signed her death certificate with that stupid ass move!"  
  
Anger poured out of Dean like air. He had never met her little sister, and chances are he never would, but he took this personally. The vampire slayer left her with a vampire. That idea was overwhelming, and he couldn't help but want to protect this poor girl. Dean felt like he was starting to understand why this slayer had ended up in a hell like this. Maybe she deserved it.  
  
"He saved her! Again and again he saved her." Buffy practically screamed at him. She didn't care if they drew attention to themselves right now, she had heard enough from him. "Don't you  **dare**  pass judgement on him."  
  
Buffy thought back. Spike had long ignored the monster in him, not by his own choice granted, but he did. She had trusted Spike long before the incident with Glory, but that moment had cemented her trust. He could have sacrificed Dawn and all of her friends to save his own skin, and he hadn't. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind. He had been ready to die that day, taking Dawn's secret to his death. She could never repay him for what he had done, and she sure as hell wasn't going to let some stupid, pig-headed hunter talk about him like a monster. Spike had been a monster for centuries, but as far as she was concerned, she left him behind a hero.  
  
Dean didn't say a word, the anger still etched on his face. He crossed his arms tightly, and she took it as a challenge to what she had said. Her mind was racing a million miles an hour, and her fury was burning hot inside of her.  
  
"He could have told Glory the truth about her. He could have told her everything, and he didn't. He nearly died because he wouldn't tell," her heart ached while she talked about home, and tears threatened to well in her eyes but she willed them away. "I told you I faced down a Hell-God, and I told you she wanted my sister. Before she knew that it was Dawn she was looking for she nabbed Spike. Spike knew the truth, and she did everything she could to get it out of him. He suffered unimaginable horrors at her hands, and he refused to give Dawn up. He was ready to die to keep her safe. He nearly did."  
  
Buffy took a deep breath, trying to slow her breathing. Her voice had started to shake, but she was far from finished.  
  
"When it came time to fight, he went into battle with me knowing that there would be casualties. He was sure that he wouldn't survive, but he didn't back down. Didn't falter. When Spike swore to me that nothing would happen to Dawn, I believed him. I believed him because his heart was in it. He was ready to die to save the world. Spike was of the good, in his annoying Billy Idol-wannabe way, so don't you dare tell me that leaving her with him was a bad judgement call." She paused to take a deep breath, "Spike is the only one that could keep her safe now that I'm gone. Even without that, I would trust her with him again and again."  
  
She hadn't told Dean why Glory had wanted her sister only that Dawn was important to Glory's plan. As she told him about Spike she felt like Dean was beginning to realize that there was something off about Dawn. What would a Hell-God want with a bratty pre-teen anyways? If he did suspect something was up, he didn't push it, and she was grateful for that. Dawn may not be the key anymore, but that didn't mean that anyone needed to know what she had been. No one knew what she was now, and Buffy didn't want her to be in anymore danger. Dawn had seen enough pain and peril for a lifetime.  
  
Dean was at a loss for words, and it wasn't often that happened. His anger was dwindling as she spoke. In Dean's world, vamps were bad news. They were monsters that needed to be put down. After meeting Lenore he had started to believe that some vampires could be different, so maybe the ones she knew weren't so bad. Even if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, a bloodsucker had protected those the blonde cared about. If the Slayer was willing to trust them, then he would take her word on it. At least for now.  
  
"You damn hunters and your black and white bullshit. That's why I booted your asses out of my town," she scuffed her foot through the soil.  
  
Dean was about to protest her appraisal of hunters on principle alone. He knew full-well that some hunters did believe in the shades of grey she spoke of. Sam always wanted to believe that there were good monsters, that there were some that didn't need to be killed. There had been times when Sam begged to spare someone. To Dean, the idea of a 'good monster' was an oxymoron and a fools dream. It was her second statement is what caught him off-guard and required a response, however.  
  
"Wait, you banned us from the hellmouth?"  
  
They had discussed the weird occurrences that she had dealt with, and how it was almost completely attributed to being on the hellmouth. The entire time they spoke he had always wondered how it was possible that a town like that had never been on their radar, how it had never shown up in Dad's journal. Not even Bobby had sent them to Sunnydale. The town's name was completely absent from the hunter community.  
  
"Yup. We had a hunter show up while I was in high school. Cain. Chauvinistic pig. He tried to hunt a friend of mine. I wouldn't let the hunter kill him and he took it as a girl couldn't handle the job. So I bent his shotgun in half and sent him on his way. Told him I better not see him or any of his hunter buddies in my town ever again," Buffy shrugged like it was a daily occurrence to ban a hunter from anywhere.  
  
"Cain, huh?"  
  
Buffy nodded, "You know the name?"  
  
"Nah, but I'll keep it in mind for when I get home."  
  
That was a lie, he did know Cain. He was a damn good hunter, and he specialized in werewolves. Her friend must have been one, revealing that she had protected yet another monster. Dean was really beginning to question her judgement, and again he wondered if she had done something to deserve to be in Purgatory. Worked with the wrong evil thing or something. Maybe she made a deal even? Whatever it was, it was probably what landed her here. Dean didn't want to think that a sweet thing like her had brought herself here, nor did he want to believe that a slayer could be corrupt, but the evidence was starting to become overwhelming.  
  
Despite whatever mess the slayer may have gotten herself into, Cain was also a grade 'A' prick. He had heard Cain tell the story of the bent shotgun at the roadhouse before, but he had said it was some sort of crazy demon chick. Dean had to laugh to himself to learn that it was this little bitty thing, slayer or not. He would have to remember to tell literally every hunter he knew when he got home. Not that there were many left…  
  
Dean had fought with Cain throughout his life, a residual effect of being John's kid he supposed. Cain may be a hell of a hunter, but given the opportunity, Dean would knock his ass out. Anyone who had a show down with Cain and won was okay in his books. His previous doubt in the slayer was still present, but he was willing to put it behind them at this point. The slayer may have made some poor calls, but there was something in her eyes that told him that she didn't see them that way. There was love as she spoke about these things that made him think that what she was saying was true, that they had saved the world with her. He would cede his point for now. He was still uneasy about the idea of her trusting vampires though, something was definitely off here.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
When night fell, the two were caught off guard.  
  
"Damnit. Been a while since we got caught off guard," Dean grumbled.  
  
"Doesn't look like anywhere nearby to take shelter in. Guess we're roughing it. Again."  
  
The path towards the exit was distinctly lacking in caves or anything of the sort. Buffy figured that meant they were on the right path. Wouldn't be worth it if it were easy.  
  
"Have I told you about the time we all lost our voices?" Buffy asked Dean as they settled in between a set of trees.  
  
"No, that's a new one. What happened?"  
  
They had taken to sharing stories of different hunts and monsters. It was surprisingly nice to be able to talk about this kind of stuff. Sharing experiences, telling the stories to someone who hadn't already lived through them. Some of the stories sounded eerily similar, and some completely blew the other away. Buffy couldn't believe that angels were real, and Dean was in awe that she had faced down Dracula. She loved the story about Bloody Mary, and his eyes lit up when she told him about the sword fight she had on top of a bus. Dean promised to teach her how to do an exorcism, and Buffy bragged about the rocket launcher she got for her birthday. No matter how unbelievable the stories were, they both knew they were true. It was crazy the things they had seen. Somehow two heroes ended up here, and that was hardly fair, but at least they had found each other.  
  
Buffy couldn't help but once again admire the work Dean did. He was thrown into it, but he could have walked away. He did it because he wanted to save people. His whole life had been dedicated to trying to prevent the same tragedies from befalling other people. That kind of honor was irreproachable.  
  
Dean took a real interest in the shades of grey that the Slayer seemed to live in. Friends with werewolves and vampires. His hunter alarms went off, and the stories she shared told him that there were others. One had dabbled in wiccan lore, but of course all he heard was "witchcraft." Witches were bad news and he was about to pick another fight over it, but the way she spoke about them told him to back down. The pride and love in her voice told him that they were good people, all of them, using their darkness to combat the real evil in the world. Even the Slayer was like that, using unearthly power to beat back wicked things. It was a world he couldn't imagine, but if they were fightin' the good fight, then they were alright by him. It took a trip to Purgatory, but maybe Dean was finally able to see from his brother's point of view.  
  
There were common themes in each of their stories, too. Buffy talked about how she felt isolated from everyone else, but still how much she loved her friends. How she looked after Dawn. Dean echoed that isolation, that loneliness. And Sam. Buffy could tell how much Dean loved his brother, how much he looked out for him. He felt like it was his job to take care of Sammy. She understood that feeling, better than she would ever let on. It had been a job assigned to her to take care of Dawn, literally a job. Her love for Dawn was real, regardless of what the monks created, and nothing would change that. They had both sacrificed themselves for their sibling. Who would have guessed it would take going to Purgatory for the two of them to find a kindred spirit?  
  
This time Dean was having none of her shenanigans. Buffy was sleeping first this night, he insisted. Buffy rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. She had expected this, and so she had put off stopping for the night as long as she could. She would never admit it to him, but it was why they were caught off guard by darkness falling. He suspected it anyways.  
  
It didn't take the slayer long to drop off into sleep, and once he was sure she was asleep he tried something that he hadn't tried yet, and felt silly that he hadn't.  
  
"Cas?" He asked, voice hushed. "I don't know if you can hear me here, but I have to try. We're close to finding the exit, I think." He took a deep breath. "I'm scared, Cas. What's going to happen when we go through it? Are we going to be okay? C'mon Cas. I'm reaching out to you, here. The least you could do is answer…"  
  
He couldn't be sure that Cas could hear him, but he knew it was worth a try. His dreamless sleep later told him that no, Cas could not hear him. They were on their own. He just hoped like hell that the portal didn't pose them any threat.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
When they restarted their trek in the morning, they found that they were closer to the mountains than they had realized. Knowing that they were closing in on their target was such a relief. The sight of the mountains getting closer was enough to keep them motivated. No way were they giving up now.  
  
"The wings are following us," Buffy stated as they walked through the trees. She seemed more annoyed than worried.  
  
Dean looked up and around, but saw nothing, "Are you sure?"  
  
"It's circling, following. I don't know what it's waiting for. The sound is driving me crazy, why doesn't it just attack already?"  
  
"Maybe it can't get through the trees?"  
  
Buffy shook her head, "I don't think that's it. Something's up. Keep your guard up."  
  
If it was enough to spook a slayer, it was enough to spook Dean. His knife came out of the holster and was held strongly in his hand. He looked over to Buffy to confirm that he was ready for anything, but she was still looking straight ahead. He couldn't help but notice that she didn't look like the prey that they actually were. Instead she looked like the predator, as foreboding as the gloomy world around them. Dean could only imagine what it was like to have her senses, her strength.  
  
All this power was contained in this small frame, and he couldn't believe it. After all that, she was still just a girl. A girl thrown into a role that she could never have been prepared to take on. Looking at her form his thoughts quickly shifted to what kind of girl she had been before she had been handed the weight of the world. Under all the grime, all the blood, and the wisdom that was far beyond her years, she was beautiful. He imagined she had been a normal teenaged girl, with friends and a boyfriend, until her world was flipped upside down. Dean couldn't help but think that a beautiful girl like her did not deserve to be stuck in the darkness just like he was.  
  
"You're staring," she said, matter-of-factly.  
  
Dean snapped out of it, a little embarrassed that he was caught, and trained his eyes forward again. "Sorry. Just imagining what it's like to have the slayer power." Which wasn't a complete lie…  
  
"Superpowers are pretty sweet, I won't lie," she smiled.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
Another two days of traveling, and a night of rest in between brought the pair to the base of the mountains.  
  
"I thought that vamp meant we'd find the exit on the way to the mountains," Dean growled, staring up the mountain range.  
  
"I think it's up there," Buffy pointed up to one of the peaks, "it's giving off all kinds of vibes"  
  
"So we're climbing mountains now?"  
  
"We've come this far, go big or go home, right? Or I guess, go big  **to**  go home," Buffy laughed at her own joke.  
  
"Cute, Slayer. Well, there's a spot there-ish," Dean pointed, "that we can rest for a night, but I don't think we can reach it before nightfall. Break here and start tomorrow?"  
  
"Gladly. Climbing in the dark sounds like a good way to die stupidly."  
  
Dean took a minute to head to the river for some water, and Buffy insisted that she would be fine on her own. She was looking forward to sitting for a while, and did not need a babysitter. With their backs to the mountain itself Dean and Buffy settled in for a night of rest before embarking on their climb. It was unfortunate that they couldn't have a fire that night, as the night was exceptionally dark this time around. Even Buffy was struggling to see their surroundings. As a precaution the two of them stayed close to one another, trying to remain as safe as they could.  
  
There wasn't much conversation to be had this night; their journey had taken a lot out of them and the silence was comforting this time. Before they could have a discussion about who would sleep first, Dean noticed that the slayer had fallen asleep already.  
  
He smirked to himself as it reminded him of all the times that Sammy had fallen asleep watching some late night movie. He would always insist he could stay up, just like Dean would, but never seemed to make it. Dean would gather Sammy up in his arms gently, without waking him, and deliver him to his bed. If they hadn't been in Purgatory, Dean may have felt the same compulsion to do so with the small blonde. Instead he just let her sleep, shifting his own position to keep himself awake.  
  
Buffy had been asleep for maybe no more than an hour when she suddenly bolted up wide-eyed, startling Dean.  
  
"What is it, Slayer?"  
  
"Wings. Don't you hear that?"  
  
He was starting to get concerned. She had been talking about these wings for days now, and he had yet to hear a thing. If he had a wound like she did, he'd probably have a killer fever ripping through him. A fever that could cause hallucinations maybe. Dean feared that was the case with the Slayer, and that was something that he really had no idea how to deal with. What could he even do to bring down a fever in a world like this? His panic was building until he heard the wings too.  
  
"Fuck. It must be getting closer if I can hear it."  
  
A hissing sound surrounded them, piercing through the darkness.  
  
"It knows we're here, Dean."  
  
"Sssssssssslayer"  
  
"What the hell was that?" Dean exclaimed.  
  
"Come out and plaaaaay."  
  
"Since when do they have voices?" Buffy asked, voice hushed.  
  
"Oh, I'm nothing like what you've faced here sweet cheeks," the voice taunted from the darkness.  
  
The leaves rustled all around them, it was impossible to tell what direction the foe was hiding in. Buffy strained her eyes, but was unsuccessful in pinpointing it's location.  
  
"Can you see anything?" Dean asked, failing to hide the dread in his voice.  
  
His fear matched her own. "No, I can barely see you. Dean, grab your lighter."  
  
She could feel an overwhelming presence around them, and she had the unmistakable feeling that they were surrounded by evil. Dean handed her his zippo and watched her flip it open, the warm light brightening her face and giving her a ghastly look. She had picked up a small branch at some point while they were standing in the dark, and wasted no time in setting it ablaze. The make-shift torch did very little to light the space around them, but then she did something unexpected. She started to light the ground around them. There was a ring of fire in front of them now, as the flames grabbed onto a circle of leaves and twigs. Buffy had been busy when Dean had gone to the river alone, and again he found himself impressed with her instincts. The space they had stopped in didn't offer much by way of protection, but this line of fire prevented anything from getting to close to them. It was a smart move that he didn't care to admit he would have never thought of. The fire served as protection for now, but it also illuminated the darkness around them.  
  
"Oh my god…" Buffy gaped at the woods around them.  
  
The winged beast stood twenty feet away from them, staring at them with it's tail flicking around. It was accompanied by five other beasts of varying species and breeds. All of them had eyes trained on the Slayer and the hunter, and all of them had a sick grin on their face.  
  
Suddenly the beasts parted down the middle, clearing the way for what they assumed was the creature that had called out to them. Much to Buffy's surprise, a small brunette girl appeared from behind the beasts, floating to the ground gracefully in a white dress, reminiscent of a nightgown.  
  
The brunette smiled in delight, "Ooo, a slayer  **and**  a Winchester. Well isn't it just my lucky day."  
  
She was wearing the visage of the first girl she had taken the form of, and for that Dean was grateful. Seeing an evil creature using his mother's form, especially in this world, would be too much for him to handle. He knew that the poor girl she was wearing now had suffered unimaginably, and for that he was sorry, but it was better than it wearing his mother's face.  
  
In his list of possible enemies to find in Purgatory, Dean realized that he had forgotten her. Maybe because she ranked pretty low on his scale of danger, at least compared to the other nightmares they had faced. Now that he was face to face with her again, Dean wasn't sure this battle would be as simple as it had been the last time they had met. There was only one way to kill this bitch, and that option was not exactly available to them here. Unless the slayer came with an apothecary set hidden somewhere, which he greatly doubted, they wouldn't stand a chance. Forgetting about her was definitely a mistake, and one that he was sure that both he and the slayer were going to pay for now.  
  
Dean was staggered. "Eve?"  
  
Eve's mouth curled into a sickly smile as she spoke, "not quite in the flesh, but yes, here I am. Miss me Dean?"


	13. Fight Fire With Fire

**Chapter Twelve – Fight Fire With Fire**  
  
Buffy had no idea who this girl was, but her tone of voice grated on her nerves. Dean obviously knew who it was, and the concern on his face rubbed off on her. Buffy could sense the power radiating off of the brunette in front of them, and it set alarms off in her head. Even without knowing who she was, Buffy sensed she was old. Some sort of ancient power. What was strange was that she didn't sense evil from her, not even a hint of evil. Glory had flooded her senses with evil, she knew what it tasted like. All she could feel was power, and it was more power than Buffy could handle. If it came to blows, Buffy for once wasn't sure she could even hope to hold her own. That thought alone scared her.  
  
"I had heard there was someone slaughtering my children, and in my own backyard no less! Imagine my surprise when my little one here told me that it was two puny humans." Eve spoke in nearly a sing-song voice.  
  
Realization sank in. Those wings they had been hearing wasn't watching them waiting to attack. They had been acting as surveillance on them, reporting back to their Queen B. Buffy knew the things here were intelligent, but she never would have expected this. How long had they been under watch? What did they know?  
  
"I thought we killed you!" Dean cried.  
  
"And where did you think I'd go, Dean? You simply sent me back home, and I've been busy ever since."  
  
"I can see that. What do you want now?"  
  
"At first I just wanted to know which of my children had grown strong enough to take down so many of it's siblings. Now that I know it's you and a slayer? Now I want you dead."  
  
Dean's blood ran cold. He hadn't seen what Eve was truly capable of back home, and he assumed that here she had more power than he could even imagine. He knew she was strong, that she could shapeshift, and if not fly at least float. She could create new monsters just by touching someone. This was not something he wanted to face down again. Even with a slayer he wasn't sure it was a fight they could win. Especially not if she had an army with her.  
  
All Buffy heard was that she had fallen in battle before. She had been killed. She could work with that.  
  
"Can't help but notice that we're still standing. I don't know who, or what, you are, but I've beaten down worse than you. Bring it on," Buffy was getting impatient at the banter.  
  
Eve laughed heartily, "Oh why, because you stopped Glory's plan you think you're all tough? You couldn't even bring yourself to kill her, could you? Even if you had, Glory is nothing on me, sweet cheeks."  
  
To prove her point, Eve lifted herself into the air and looked down at them, lightening arcing between her raised arms. Both Buffy and Dean took a step back, placing themselves closer to the mountain.  
  
"My children are going to tear you limb from limb, just as you have done to their brothers and sisters. When they're done I'll suck the marrow from your bones," Eve said in a voice that didn't sound like it belonged to her body.  
  
The beasts growled, excited at the prospect of engaging the slayer and the hunter, but they waited for the order.  
  
"What, too afraid to face us yourself," Buffy asked, voice full of false bravado.  
  
Eve laughed, "Just have better things to do, my dear. Go my children!"  
  
With that Eve disappeared from sight, and the pair fixed their gaze on the monsters that stood just on the other side of a wall of flames. There wasn't much by way of options, but dying was not among them. They had to think fast, and act faster.  
  
Buffy launched the torch she had been holding onto towards the creatures, hoping she'd catch at least a tail or a wing on fire. Her aim was impeccable and it landed dead centre of one of the monsters, raising a whining cry as it tried to prevent the fire from spreading.  
  
"Good shot," Dean smirked.  
  
"I try. C'mon!"  
  
Buffy flipped over the flames, sailing towards the pack of beasts. Dean searched for a break in the flames, finding one against the mountain on his side. He slipped through and dashed to catch up with her. She may be the Slayer, but she was still outnumbered.  
  
"Dean, duck!" She shouted to him.  
  
He obeyed quickly, just barely avoiding a set of barbs that had been flung from one of the beast's tails. He closed the gap between himself and the Slayer, quickly putting his back to hers. They were encircled now, but they could at least see all around them now.  
  
"Thanks for the heads up."  
  
Buffy grinned, "Ready to do this?"  
  
They separated swiftly, moving apart quickly enough that their backs were not exposed for long. Buffy delivered a devastating roundhouse kick to the charred demon while Dean plunged his blade through the wings on the thing that had been tailing them for god knows how long. He hoped that the slice would help to keep it grounded. The anguished cry it released told him that even if he wasn't right, he had hurt it deeply. Good.  
  
Buffy kept her eyes on the other creatures as they circled, realizing that they needed to switch locations she called to Dean.  
  
"Bend!"  
  
She rolled over his bent back, putting him against the charred demon while she took on the winged beast. Dean dispatched of the charred one quickly, and another two quickly descended on him. She swore under her breath. She had switched not wanting him to be overwhelmed, and now he was facing more than she would have liked. As long as she could keep the winged beast focused on her she felt like Dean could handle himself.  
  
Fighting with Spike she never had to worry about him, never had to keep her eyes on him. This was different though, Dean was human. Even with Riley she had found herself worrying about his ability in battle. Dean was more like Faith, even without the powers that came with being a slayer. She didn't have to babysit him, and she knew that when the dust cleared he would be standing there, just as she was. Despite that, Buffy didn't want to find too much comfort in that thought. She wasn't going to allow Dean to fall in battle now, not when they were so close to getting him out of here. No matter how capable he was, Buffy was going to keep him close and keep her eyes on his fights.  
  
This winged breast wasn't like the one they had seen before. Buffy remembered seeing something similar escape the portal that Glory opened, although not identical. If she hadn't been so focused on saving Dawn, she probably would have fancied battling it then. She wasn't about to miss out on the chance again.  
  
"Ya know, you sure are ugly. Is that why you were stuck here where no one would ever see you?" Buffy quipped as she inched her way back towards the blaze she had set.  
  
The creature either didn't bother with a response, or couldn't, instead opting to lung for Buffy, driving her back even farther. She had not planned this well, there was no weaponry close enough to grab without this thing stopping her. Leaving the knife with Dean was the obvious choice, but now the slayer wasn't sure how she was going to attack this thing. It hadn't taken it's eyes off of her, and that left little opportunity to grab anything that was nearby. The creature suddenly bellowed and spun around, turning it's back on Buffy. She was confused until she saw Dean withdrawing the blade from the thing's tail, a chunk of tail coming with it.  
  
"Hey, it's rude not to answer a lady," Dean mocked, throwing the tail hunk into the distance.  
  
Buffy seized her opportunity, and grabbed for a branch that was currently burning. Spinning it as a staff she caught the winged beast in several spots along it's back, including it's wings. The death and decay that was normal to smell now became a singed scent that assaulted their noses. Dean saw that she had it under control and took his knife back to the remaining four creatures that he hadn't dispatched, doing his best to keep the things in a group. Her concern for him being overwhelmed was quickly set aside as the winged beast turned back to face her. She was going to need to land more blows than she had if she hoped to take this beastie down.  
  
Dean wasn't sure if he could take on four together, but he was sure as hell going to try. Going down in battle was not an option, but if he had to go, he had always wanted it to be in an epic battle. Dean was pretty sure this qualified. The cries coming from the beast the Slayer was fighting told him that it wouldn't be long before she was working side by side with him anyways. All he had to do was keep these ones at a distance until then.  
  
"Wanna dance?" He snarled, realizing that her quips had obviously rubbed off on him.  
  
The four monsters lunged at him at once. He regretted his decision whole-heartedly as he tucked and rolled between them, trying to bring the knife down on one of them as they passed over him. His attempt did manage to catch one thing in the back of the knee, bringing it to the ground hard, wailing as it went. The other three turned to face where their target had ended up, howling in anticipation.  
  
" _Hurry up, Slayer,_ " he thought to himself as he dashed past them again, narrowly missing a claw that reached out for him.  
  
The beast's skin smoldered and popped where the flaming baton had grazed it. Buffy had been delivering a great deal of damage, but it was still coming at her full force. It had swiped at her a few times, leaving new marks up and down her legs and arms. While she was mindful of the gash on her side, the winged thing's tail managed to catch it once or twice. The near fatal blow came when the thing managed to get close enough to sink it's teeth into her side. New blood poured out of the wound and stained the clothing all over again. Her vision was darkening as the blood raced out of her, but she wasn't ready to give in quite yet. Her entire body was shaking, and she was sure she was about to fall. She risked a sidelong glance towards Dean, naively hoping that he would be close enough to notice her losing battle. She barely caught a glance of him as he was being buried under a pile of dark and twisted creatures. Something in her snapped. She was not prepared to lose him in battle now, and that meant she had to pull herself back. Buffy knew she could rally, it was what slayers did best, but this beast was still coming at her like a freight train.  
  
She was running out of ideas, and with a great deal of blood loss she wasn't sure she would be able to take down this thing at all. It didn't seem to matter how many hits the monster took, it just kept coming. She took solace in the fact that it could no longer fly, but that offered little comfort to her right now. Buffy wasn't even sure she was delivering any damage to this thing. What she wouldn't give for an axe or a sword. Some girls wished for a pony, for a new car, but Buffy wished for sharp instruments in order to cause fatalities.  
  
" _Such is the life of a slayer,"_  she sighed to herself wistfully.  
  
The creature took a lunge towards her, and Buffy saw her opportunity to slow it down immensely. She didn't waste time in taking it and jammed the flaming branch down into the creatures foot. It stopped the monster in it's tracks and when it opened it's mouth to wail, Buffy shoved the burning branch past it's teeth and deep through it's mouth. It bucked, trying to remove the torch from it's jowls, but Buffy kept her assault up. A fire broke through it's throat and gut, burning it from the inside out. The charred husk fell to the ground, smoking and popping like a late night fire left to burn out. Buffy moved to light the body once more, not willing to be caught off guard by it living through the attack like the last one had. The last bit of fire caused the husk to cave in on itself, resembling a log that burned straight through, leaving nothing but a pile of ash. It offered one final pop that showered the blonde slayer with a light layer of soot. Satisfied that it was dead, Buffy then dedicated her attention to the hunter and the monsters he was currently facing.  
  
"Took your sweet time, Slayer," Dean teased.  
  
"Shoulda known you'd need me," she countered with a wink. "Let's do this."  
  
Dean laced his fingers together and allowed Buffy to use him to kick off of. She soared through the air, landing with her legs wrapped around one of the creature's necks. She had surprised it, and it didn't know what was happening until it's neck had already cracked far enough that it was too late. It's neck was broken swiftly by the slayers strong legs. She landed back down on the ground, satisfied that the numbers had been made a little more reasonable.  
  
While Buffy had tussled with the two of the monsters, Dean had launched himself, knife first, at the creature he had dealt the knee injury to. He swiped his knife at it, dodging the tail that whipped at him. Once the tail passed by, Dean took the opening to lunge at the demon, coming in low. It was the same move he had tried on the slayer what felt like a lifetime ago. This time, however, it succeeded in what he had hoped. He managed to bring the creature to the ground, where he was able to drive the knife deep into the things chest. One beast that had been sparring with the slayer took note that Dean had taken down a creature and came over to deliver a nasty blow to the back of Dean's head. Dean refused to let it take him down, but he had to deal with the monster below him first.. A quick twist of the blade brought a wretched howl from the beast before it fell still. Dean slashed it's throat, not taking any chances that it would rise again, and turned to see the blonde setting her sights on the next creature, his own beast in between them.  
  
Buffy, done with her first beastie, used her momentum to flip towards the next. She delivered a quick kick to it's face, following up with a strong chop to it's throat. She was moving slowly, though. The blood loss becoming much more critical than she had hoped. Buffy was struggling to remain on her feet, her eyes beginning to roll back in her head. Realizing that she was dangerously close to the beast she mustered enough strength together to deliver a devastating roundhouse kick to the things chest. The monster staggered back, right into where Dean was waiting for it. He had seen the struggle the slayer was having and wasted no time in diving past the beast that stepped up to take him on. That one could wait, the blonde had needed help. This time he was sure she would be grateful, rather than furious. The blade quickly plunged into the back of it's head, dropping it to it's knees. Buffy gave one final kick to the creatures head, which snapped it back at an unnatural angle. It was obvious that this monster was not getting up again. Dean smiled at the slayer over top of the creature's corpse, and they both turned their focus to the last beast, Buffy leaning to her side, trying her best to remain standing.  
  
The two were impressed with how they had taken down the small army. Eve had expected them to fall in battle, and they nearly had. The two had honed their skills to a nearly unbeatable level, though. Their fatigue didn't seem to matter as they worked together. The final creature, realizing it was the last one standing, scampered off. They both laughed watching this beast, which looked like evil incarnate, running away like a scared puppy.  
  
"Figures, now they learn to be afraid of me," Buffy dusted the soot off of her face before clutching at her gushing side.  
  
"You wish, it was clearly afraid of me."  
  
"In your dreams!" Buffy gave him a light punch in the arm. "Maybe it'll spread the word. Wouldn't that be crazy? Monsters afraid of humans even in Purgatory."  
  
Dean liked the sound of that. He threw his arms out quickly to catch the slayer who was tipping over.  
  
"Whoa there, you good?"  
  
Buffy pulled herself back to her feet, doing her best to bring the world back into focus. It took a few years, but she finally learned that fatigue paired with substantial blood loss was enough to knock her off her feet. Who knew?  
  
"Ya, I'm good. Guess that took more outta me than I realized."  
  
"So much for rest, huh?" Dean indicated the lightening sky.  
  
"Guess we start climbing then."  
  
"Oh no, not yet," Dean looked pointedly at the wound on the slayers side.  
  
It had already stopped bleeding, but it was still in need of some attention. They were so close to the exit that he could taste it, and he was not ready to fail now because of an injury. Eve was sure to be close on their tails after they dispatched this mini army, and he needed the slayer to be ready to fight. Dean dragged her by the hand down to the river to rinse out the newly opened gash and give his make-shift bandage an equally thorough rinsing.  
  
Dean wanted nothing more than to get to the exit, and he was ready to do anything to get there. He was surprised, however, to find out that making sure the blonde was taken care of was just as important ti him. The exit could wait until she had some more strength in her.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
"Think we'll reach it by tomorrow?"  
  
"I think so," Buffy nodded, "my slayer senses are going all wiggy."  
  
The two had managed to traverse the first part of the mountain in the daylight. Dean had failed miserably at climbing that stupid rope in high school gym class. Who knew that was a skill he'd ever actually need? The climb was difficult, but he managed to keep going. It wasn't long before Buffy started to feel as though the portal would be on a plateau part way up. Her slayer senses were really pulling their weight here. They both hoped that she was right; if they had to climb all the way to the top, they worried that they would die before then. There was no water on the mountain range, and as you got higher there were fewer and fewer plateaus that they could use for rest. Both added up to a sure fire death, and that was if no other beasties attacked them while they climbed. The idea that Eve could find them at any minute added a whole new level of terror to their situation. It was looking more and more unlikely that they would ever make it. Buffy again focused on the gut feeling that the portal would be on one of those plateaus she could see. They needed that hope.  
  
Once darkness fell they took refuge in a small cave they had found, hoping that nothing could see them in here, and that nothing would choose to attack them. They had nowhere to run in the event that something did show up, and neither wanted to die like a trapped animal.  
  
"I can't believe we're almost done. We get to go home. Know the first thing I'm gonna do?"  
  
"Find Sammy?"  
  
"Well ya, that. And then get the biggest bacon cheeseburger I can find, and a nice cold beer. Maybe I'll spring for a nice motel with the comfy beds."  
  
Buffy smiled, "living the dream, hey Dean?"  
  
"You know it, sweetheart."  
  
It had been a while since he had called her sweetheart, and this time it lacked the bite it had had in previous uses. She actually almost liked it. Almost. Not that she'd tell him that.  
  
"What about you, what's your plan once you get home?"  
  
She had avoided the topic long enough, she figured she should probably tell him the truth now. They were so close to the exit that it would be impossible for her to continue to withhold the information anyways, unless her plan was to shove him through the portal and run away. While that option almost looked more attractive than telling the truth, she figured she owed him more than that.  
  
"Actually, Dean. There's been something I've wanted to tell you for a while now." Concern crossed his face, but he didn't say anything which forced her to continue, "I'm, uh…not planning on going through the portal." She finished, looking downwards at the ground.  
  
"What? Why?" He was thrown by her words. He couldn't fathom a reason to stay here. "Don't you fucking quit on me, not now."  
  
"I'm not quitting, Dean."  
  
"Sure sounds like it to me. What would you call it?"  
  
She was ashamed of the truth. Buffy Summers was not a quitter, but she was afraid. She was afraid of what would happen if she went through the portal. Where would she even go? Would it free her to heaven? Drag her to hell? Would she cease to exist completely? Dean would go home, but how could she return home? She wasn't even sure if she had left a body to return to. Maybe this was just where slayers went when they truly died. Maybe this was where she was meant to be? It wasn't the Valhalla she had expected, but she could see it being what the powers thought would be fitting for a slayer.  
  
She sighed internally. Time to rip off the bandaid.  
  
"I'm dead, Dean. I died."  
  
Her words knocked the wind right out of him, and it took a while for them to sink in. She was dead. The girl he had been fighting side by side with for god knows how long, died long before he ever met her. Her words repeated in his head like an echo, over and over, each time making less sense than the last. She was dead. She died. His throat was parched, and his blood seemed to run cold.  
  
She was dead. She had died.  
  
He cleared his throat, "You died?"  
  
Buffy nodded, "Remember when I told you I ended up here because of a battle with a Hell-God?" Dean nodded. "Well, that's true, but I didn't tell you the whole story. I did battle a Hell-God, and I definitely defeated her, but I wouldn't call it a win. I had to stop her from dropping the walls between all dimensions. To do that it needed my blood…so I jumped…"  
  
His mind was running over-time trying to comprehend what she was saying to him. "I thought slayers would go to heaven when they…ya know…"  
  
"We spend our whole lives messing with powers greater than us. We're not exactly human either. Makes sense we wouldn't make the cut," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Maybe living on the hellmouth for so long is what did it, or maybe it was jumping through that portal. Either way, I'm here."  
  
"Better than the other place I guess."  
  
Dean remembered his time in hell, and that was something he would never wish on anyone, not even his greatest enemy. The slayer was tough, but he couldn't imagine her in a world like that. Then again, she survived this world by hardening herself, she could probably have done it in hell, if she had to. Heroes weren't meant to end up in hell, but they weren't meant to end up here, either.  
  
"What, hell? Agreed," she wrinkled her nose, "at least here I get to go out in a blaze of glory if I'm gonna go out."  
  
"My kinda girl," Dean laughed. "That doesn't really explain why you don't wanna get outta here though."  
  
Buffy bit her lip, "well, I mean…you're gonna go through it and go home. Where would I go?"  
  
The implications of that question were obvious. Dean was going to make it home, but her? She was dead. There was no guarantee that she'd make it back to the real world, and there was certainly no promise that it would get her to heaven. She could simply cease to exist. He understood her fear.  
  
"I'm gonna make sure you get through this portal, Dean, I promise. But then ya gotta do something for me."  
  
"Sure, whattya need?" He didn't want it to seem like he was agreeing that she should stay behind, but he was more than ready to do something for her on the other side. She had kept him alive, of that he was certain, so whatever she needed, he could handle.  
  
She explained to him that she died to save her sister, a sacrifice he could relate to. She told him how Spike had been charged with taking care of Dawn if she hadn't survived the battle. Buffy fully trusted Spike, and her friends, to watch over Dawn, but she didn't know what had happened after the battle. Did anyone survive? If Dawn was the lone survivor, then she was all alone. She knew she was asking a lot, for Dean to go and check on her little sister, but after hearing him talk about Sam like he had, she knew he would do it. There was no way for him to relay the message to her, but somehow just knowing that there would be someone in the world that could be there for Dawn was enough. Buffy supposed that was the difference, right now she didn't know that there was anyone left, but this way she knew there would be Dean. If there was anything that could be done for Dawn, Dean would make sure it was done.  
  
"I feel it in my bones that I stopped it all, that at least someone survived, but I just need Dawn to be safe."  
  
He understood what she was asking and nodded, "I'll check on her. Promise."  
  
Relief washed over her and it looked as though a weight had been lifted off of her. With that she allowed herself to drift off to sleep. He meant what he said, he would check on Dawn. But he also intended on checking on her, too. There was no way he was leaving her here. Even if Cas hadn't told him that she was important to some world plan, he couldn't leave her here. He would never forgive himself if he was able to live his life, and she was stuck here. She was right, they didn't know what would happen to her once she went through the portal, but it couldn't be worse than here.  
  
Wherever she ended up, he was sure that Cas could reach her there. No matter what, Cas wouldn't leave a protector of the people somewhere she didn't belong. If they were lucky enough for her to land in limbo with him, it would be easy. He could send her to heaven from there. If she ended up in another dimension or in hell, Cas could rip her out, he was sure of it. There were so many ways to retrieve her from anywhere else that he knew he could get her to heaven. Maybe even get her home. That was the goal, anyways. Heaven for a hero was well deserved, but her heart was still at home. That's where he'd want to be, and he couldn't imagine that she wanted to leave Dawn alone any more than he'd want to leave Sam.  
  
She was leaving with him, and he was going to get her home. Even if he had to carry her kicking and screaming through the exit. Dean's mind was made up.


	14. Bring it on Home

**Chapter Thirteen – Bring it on Home**  
  
Before they embarked on the last leg of their journey, Dean and Buffy took a minute to plan ahead. It had been a long time coming, them getting here, and they didn't want to lose it now. Not when they were so close. Most of their steps so far hadn't been thought through, nothing had been calculated. Everything had come as though it was second nature, and much of it was. A slayer's instincts were ideal, and the hunter's training put him on par with her. There had been mistakes, which was expected, but nothing they couldn't recover from. Even with those errors, they had done well so far, but this final push wasn't like anything else they had done so far. This was the big hand, all chips in, bottom of the ninth and bases loaded kind of deal. There was no room for error now.  
  
"You know this thing has to be guarded by something," Dean said, stretching out his stiff back.  
  
"Final boss level? Definitely," Buffy nodded in agreement.  
  
Dean smirked at her description. It was what he had come to expect from her.  
  
"What's the plan then? Do we go in guns ablazin' so to speak, or do we take a more stealthy approach? 'Cause either way I foresee a lot of beasties and bloodshed."  
  
"I'll keep them off of you and you make a break for it," Buffy kept her tone even, very matter-of-fact, in hopes that there would be little to no argument.  
  
"Well that hardly seems like a plan, Slayer."  
  
"I told you I was going to get you out. I'll do my part."  
  
"It sounds like suicide."  
  
Buffy shook her head, "are you kidding? I live for that kinda stuff. I can handle myself."  
  
"Not saying you can't. I've seen you fight, you're…ya know what? Incredible is the only word that comes to mind here. But Purgatory is gonna send everything it's got at us, it's gonna get a whole lot worse before it gets better. I'm just sayin' we can make one hell of a dent in those things together."  
  
"We don't need to make a dent. I just need to hold 'em off until you're safe. I'll bail after that. Promise. No slayer death is happening here," Buffy gave a reassuring smile.  
  
Dean sighed, realizing he would never convince her otherwise, "at least take my knife? Give you an edge."  
  
Buffy shook her head, "You'll need it if I can't keep them all focused on me. I survived without it before, I can do it again."  
  
As much as Buffy knew that the knife would be helpful, she couldn't take it. She needed Dean to get to that exit. He needed to live. He needed to check on Dawn for her. He couldn't stay. That knife was his insurance for getting to the portal, and she was more than capable of protecting herself.  
  
"What do we do if Eve shows up?" Dean didn't like the plan so far, but there were still some things they had to be mindful of.  
  
"Right. You never told me about her. Who is she? Or I guess, who was she?" Buffy took the minute of downtime to stretch out her aching muscles.  
  
"I guess I didn't. We were all caught up in the whole 'not falling to our deaths' thing, huh?" Buffy nodded so Dean continued, "met her about a year ago. Called herself the 'mother of all monsters.' She was all upset because her children were being killed faster than normal."  
  
"She's old, isn't she? Ancient?"  
  
"Older than the angels anyways," Dean nodded.  
  
"I could sense that. She didn't feel evil though," Buffy's brow was furrowed as she spoke.  
  
Dean shot her an incredulous look, "Not evil? I dunno, our encounter with her wasn't exactly smiles and sunshine. She turned a whole town to monsters."  
  
Dean thought back to the conversation he and Sammy had had with Eve in that diner. The deal she tried to strike with them had smelled off to him then, and even now it rubbed him the wrong way. She had borrowed his mother's face; he couldn't imagine her as anything but evil. She was malicious in her attacks, and her words had dripped with venom. She was supposedly the mother of all monsters which meant that she was responsible for a lot of evil in the world. Whether or not the slayer felt the evil coming off of her didn't matter. Eve was bad news.  
  
Buffy shrugged, "I didn't say she wasn't evil. I just didn't get a sense of it. It was a weird feeling coming off of her – I couldn't place it."  
  
"Don't underestimate her, Slayer. Anything that only has one way of dying is generally not good in my books."  
  
"How'd you kill her?"  
  
"Phoenix ashes. She took 'em orally," Dean laughed at the memory. "It looked like a brutal way to go."  
  
Buffy thought for a minute, "she's powerful, Dean. Unlike anything I've ever seen."  
  
The fear was obvious in her eyes, and it struck Dean to the core.  
  
The pair took a moment, letting the implications of that statement sink in. The slayer was designed to face down the forces of evil. She was meant to be a weapon, and she was meant to be prepared for almost anything. Eve was powerful, Dean had known that. She was able to take down an entire town in a blink of an eye. She was able to neuter an angel without lifting a finger. She was physically strong, he had felt that firsthand. If even the slayer felt overwhelmed by her power? That was chilling. Eve's power must have been able to mask her scent of evil - that was the only explanation that made sense.  
  
If they ran into her again, chances were good that Dean would never reach the portal. Buffy couldn't allow that. She was sure she wouldn't be able to take on Eve, but she knew that Dean couldn't either. In fact, she was certain that even working together they wouldn't be enough. Her mind was made up in that moment. If she had to take on Eve before they made it to the top, she was going to dive on that grenade. Buffy was prepared to die if it meant Dean would make it home.  
  
Death was her gift, after all.  
  
The air was heavy, as though her thoughts were affecting the atmosphere. The glance Dean shot her confirmed that he had picked up on the change in the air. She was afraid he would sense her thoughts in that moment, like it had been written on her face. Buffy knew that he would never allow her to sacrifice herself for him. Not because he didn't think she could handle it. Not because he wanted her to live. Not because he saw it as his fight. Not even because he would see her death as his fault. There was something deeper to it all.  
  
If there was one thing she had learned about Dean Winchester in their time together, it was that he saw himself as unworthy.  
  
Even without her slayer senses she could have seen this as plain as day. It was in the stories he told. It was the way he talked. The way he carried himself. It was in the way he recklessly treated his own life. It wasn't just the way he put everyone else before himself, and it wasn't just the way he saw himself. Dean truly believed that he was less than everyone else. He would never have said anything of the sort, but Buffy knew it was true. It was what landed him here, in Purgatory. He didn't take on that big bad because he thought he was the only one that could do so, it was because he thought he was the only one that was expendable enough.  
  
It broke Buffy's heart to know that he couldn't see his worth. That no one had been able to get through to him, to prove to him that he is not worthless. He was such a wonderful person that Buffy felt like she was a better person just for being in his presence. He was fierce when it came to those he loved, and he was selfless. How could such a beautiful man be so broken?  
  
No matter how closely Buffy paid attention, she had been unable to decipher the cause of his turmoil. She suspected it had something to do with what brought him into the world of monsters and evil, but she couldn't know that for sure. He had never told her what exactly happened, just that a demon had broken his family and dragged them in. Whatever had happened, she was sure, had been what cracked him.  
  
Her thoughts had reaffirmed her original plan. If Eve showed up, Buffy would take her on. It didn't matter if she survived or not, because all that mattered was that Dean would make it home. Someone had to show him that he deserved just as much good as anyone else. He deserved to make it home. It wasn't always him that had to do the sacrificing. Buffy wanted to show him that someone could care about him so much that they were willing to put their life on the line. That someone could love him.  
  
In a totally platonic way, of course. Naturally.  
  
Buffy dragged her eyes off of Dean and back to the task at hand. Dean's eyes followed hers back to the mountain.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
They continued their ascent, doing everything they could to not look down. Buffy lost her footing a couple of times, but was quick to grab onto another hold or onto Dean. Neither of them felt like dying because they sucked at climbing so they watched each other closely. Even with all of the footholds and handholds they had been able to find, the climb had proven to be more challenging than they had hoped. Their muscles ached, their hands were cut and bloodied, and they just wanted to stop and breathe for a moment.  
  
Both of them knew that they could not stop. Staying in one place for too long made them easier to find, and if they were found by anything at all while they were climbing, they were sure to fall. They couldn't defend themselves like this, they were totally vulnerable.  
  
Suddenly Buffy was struck with an odd sensation. The air felt charged around her, and she felt a strange sense of relief. Buffy knew exactly what her sense were trying to tell her.  
  
"We're here," Buffy said, about 5 feet down from the next plateau.  
  
As the two raised over the edge, their eyes landed on a glowing tear in the sky. The light escaping from it was purple in colour, with electricity zapping through the edges. The air around it wavered and bent, like what the air around a fire would look like. There was a sound of intense wind howling around it, the leaves on the trees nearby were shuddering with every pick up of the wind. The center of the portal was dark and empty looking, and it showed no sign of being welcoming. Buffy stared at it intently, it reminded her of the portal she had already gone through, which made her nervous. Look what it had done to her. Where it had brought her. Where would it take Dean?  
  
"Are you sure that it's safe?" She asked, again questioning the validity of the information's source.  
  
Dean nodded. He had already told her about Cas and how he trusted his word, but he had to admit, the portal did not look welcoming. The terror in the slayer's eyes did nothing to quell his worries.  
  
Dean went to pull himself up onto the flat, but was held back by the blonde.  
  
"Wait. My senses are freaking out. There's a lot of evil around here, and not just from that thing," she pointed to the portal.  
  
"Looks empty to me, Slayer. If we make a break for it we could probably reach it before anything even knows we're here."  
  
"As soon as you get up there they're gonna be on you. I feel it."  
  
"Didn't your little friend say it zapped anything that got too close?"  
  
Buffy indicated the trees surrounding the entire plateau, "probably hiding in there. They knew where we were headed. I'm sure Eve has been watching us climb. There's bound to be a small army up there waiting for us."  
  
Dean sighed, "ya, okay. You're probably right. So what do you suggest?"  
  
"I'm going to go up first. They'll come out of hiding to stop me from reaching the exit. When they attack me you're gonna make a break for it. As soon as you see an opening you run. You run and you don't stop for anything. You don't look back and you don't stop running until this place is far, far behind you. Got it?"  
  
"What if you go down?"  
  
"Simple. I won't. Even if I do, you'll be too busy not looking back to see it, got it?" Buffy was adamant that this was how it was going to be. "If you go down, you yell. You scream loud enough to wake the dead, you hear me?"  
  
"Yes ma'am," Dean gave her a mock salute to which she rolled her eyes. "Slayer, seriously. You don't have to do this. Let me help you."  
  
"Absolutely not. Dean, I'm the slayer. This is what I do. I hold back the forces of evil. I know hunters do too, but this time? Hunters run. They run and they don't stop, they don't look back. That's the plan."  
  
This didn't leave much ability for him to bring her through with him. He thought about how he could take her with him. Maybe when he dashed across the space he could grab her? Or he could go up with her, ruining her plan and creating the need for a new plan on the fly. Or he could simply fight with her until the things stopped coming. Then they could saunter through the exit in peace. Even Dean knew that was unlikely, but no matter what, he wasn't going through solo. Cas said she was important, and even without that he knew it wasn't right that she should be trapped here.  
  
Someone like her only came around once in a lifetime, and he didn't mean that as the slayer. The blonde he had been fighting alongside for so long now was incredible. She was beautiful. She was smart. She was funny. She was strong. She was…perfect. The thought of a world without her was too much to take. He could only imagine the pain that her friends, that her sister, were all going through without her. He had only known her here and he could feel himself mourning the loss of her already. The world needed someone as bright and remarkable as she was. She didn't deserve the darkness of the world, and it certainly didn't deserve her either, but she was needed. She was needed to hold back the darkness, and to create a light all her own.  
  
She didn't need to sacrifice herself again. She deserved better than that. He was going to do right by her. He couldn't imagine leaving her behind. Not now. Not ever.  
  
"You sure you're not coming?" He thought he'd try at least once more, his heart aching as he asked the question.  
  
Memories flashed behind her eyes. Her whole life back home replayed in her head like a movie. Her heart burned at the thought of Dawn. Willow. Xander. Giles. They were her everything, her all. They were what had kept her going no matter what happened. She wanted nothing more than to be back at home with them all. Her love of her Scoobies should have far out-weighed her fears, but she couldn't risk it. At least she knew this place. Here she knew what to expect. She knew that she would be fighting monsters for the rest of her life, but it was the known variable. That portal threatened to leave her trapped somewhere worse, some other dimension or even hell itself. The chance of it leading her home was slim at best. Her body may not even be there to return to. What kind of form could she have even left behind? That pavement had been coming up toward her fast, and even a slayer's body couldn't have survived that impact.  
  
She wasn't sure about it. The idea of being left behind was hard. She would be alone. Dean would be gone, and she would be alone. She didn't know which was worse, being simply alone or being without Dean.  
  
She nodded her head, hoping her hesitation didn't betray her.  
  
"Then let's do this," Dean's disappointment obvious in his voice.  
  
Before he could open his mouth again she was gone, running full speed towards the exit. No time for goodbyes or for tears. Dean was normally grateful that for short goodbyes, or for skipping it all together, but for once a distinct sense of disappointment stung him. The idea that 'then let's do this' could be his last words he ever spoke to her was enough to make him sick to his stomach. There was so much he wanted to say to her, things that he had been ignoring the entire time they fought together. Words that he had been afraid to say. Dean was afraid that he would never have another chance. She was right there, and it was already too late. He had been unable to feel anything since he returned from hell, but now he could feel his heart breaking. All he could do now was watch her run, full tilt into what would be certain death. All he could do was watch and wait.  
  
She had been right, the slayer hadn't even made it halfway across the expanse when the creatures descended on her. Dean hung back for a bit, waiting until nothing else moved from the shadows before he pulled himself up. He started his run, totally caught up in the moment. He had wanted to bring her with him, he had never intended to do anything but that. Something in him screamed that he should listen to her. That he needed to respect what she wanted. The ominous look of the portal made him question how safe this could truly be. Part of him didn't want to let her risk going through either. What if this portal killed them both? He didn't want to die, but he certainly didn't want to be the cause of her death too. It was an awful thought that tore him up inside, but maybe he would have to leave her behind. The adrenaline pumping through him propelled him forwards, and all he could focus on was that escape hatch. Just before getting to the tear in the sky, Dean hazarded a look back, hoping against hope that he could still grab her. That he still had time.  
  
Buffy was completely inundated by monsters, and she was going down fast. She knew that there was going to be a small army standing watch over the exit, but she had never expected this many. They just kept coming, and pretty soon she couldn't see beyond the sea of grotesque beings. All of them with one single mission: to take her down. There were so many attacks coming from every angle that she wasn't able to stop them all. A strike to her side, a jab to her knee, a slash across her face, a bite on her shoulder, a barb in her back. Every attack sent a shockwave of pain through her system. One of the creatures caught her arm as she struck out at it, and she could feel the bone snap in two different places. She had taken down a handful of creatures, but it hadn't even made a dent in the mob around her. They hadn't even seemed to notice the dead that had piled up below her. It didn't even phase them.  
  
It didn't take her long to recognise that she was not going to survive this fight. This was it for her. A familiar fear started in her gut and coursed through her entire body. It was the same feeling she had felt when she faced the Master, and it was the same when she had faced Glory down. She was going to die. That thought was what it took for her to realize that she didn't want to die here. She didn't want to stay. Buffy knew she couldn't be here anymore, not if this was what it was going to be like. Even if she survived the assault she was currently under, this is what it would be like for the rest of time. The attacks would never stop, and it wouldn't take long for Eve to find her again. It was finally in this moment that she came to the realization, and it was too late.  
  
She wanted to leave with Dean.  
  
The regret of telling Dean to run and not look back stung worse than any of the attacks she had suffered. She was going to die, and it was her own fault. She could have gone, could have stayed with him, but she refused. She wasn't dead yet, but Buffy was already defeated.  
  
What Dean saw knocked the breath right out of him and a chill broke out over his body. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. No one could handle that many beasts at once, not even a slayer, and he knew that her life was in immediate danger. He couldn't let her go down like this. A warrior deserved to go down in battle sure, but not in a slaughter. Dean was sure she'd be furious that he stopped, but he didn't care at this point. He had abandoned his own plan already, and for that he was ashamed. He had wanted to drag him with her, and if he had done that she wouldn't be under fire like she was now. This was his fault, and he would never forgive himself if he left her like this. He dashed back to where she was, driving his blade in several different creatures as he passed by, and narrowly missing several attacks that were sent in his direction. More than once he should have been knocked off of his feet, but he kept moving. The blonde was in his sights and nothing was going to stop him from reaching her. He blasted his way through the crowd until he got to where she was, knocking back a ring of monsters from her.  
  
She looked up at him with wide eyes, full of fright and adrenaline.  
  
"Dean, you have to go, now! I can hold them off but not forever!" She kicked a creature away from her and shoved at Dean, still desperately clinging to her desire to get him home safe.  
  
"I'm not leaving you! Not like this! C'mon!"  
  
He grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the circle, both of them knocking back beasts as they went. The blonde was limping with every step, and she was dragging behind. Her injuries were more than she had realized, and if it wasn't for Dean she couldn't imagine lasting much longer. It didn't take Dean long to realize that she was hurt beyond anything he had seen. Acting quickly Dean swept his arms underneath her legs and pulled her up into a tight hold. There was no way that they were going to outrun the impending death with her stumbling the whole way. Buffy may have argued if it wasn't for the throbbing pain in nearly every inch of her body, and her intense desire to be far, far away from the mob that was after them. The monsters lumbered after them, but were unable to close the gap immediately, which was probably their only saving grace. Dean kept running with the blonde clutched close to his chest, never looking back.  
  
"Dean?" Buffy yelled up to him.  
  
"Ya, slayer?"  
  
"Please don't leave me here."  
  
Dean was astounded, "what?"  
  
"I can't stay here. I can't be here alone. Not again. Not now. Don't leave me. Please. Don't make me be without you." Her words were strained, coughed out through deep, ragged breaths.  
  
Dean's smile stretched widely across his face. Hearing her say she wanted to leave was indescribably wonderful. He didn't know what would happen when they went through, but no matter what it was, they could handle it. Whatever it was they had to face, they were going to face it together.  
  
Home was so close he could taste it. And she was coming too.  
  
They were almost within arms-reach of the exit when a clap of thunder shook the ground below their feet. The sudden shaking of the ground knocked them both from their feet, the slayer rolling as she hit hard. Pain shot through her entire body as she struggled to pull herself back up, only succeeding in raising herself onto the elbow of her uninjured arm. The sky had darkened immensely and lightning spread across the sky all around them, crackling as it struck several trees surrounding the clearing. The trees ignited, and a new wind blew over their backs as debris flew over their heads. Both Buffy and Dean covered the back of their heads with their hands, trying to wait out whatever was coming for them now.  
  
"What have you done!?" A voice shrieked behind them, the anger dripping on every word.


	15. Out of Time

**Chapter Fourteen – Out of Time**  
  
Dean was first to get to his feet while Buffy was a little slower to make it up. She was still feeling the effects of the mob she had faced, but not getting up meant she was defeated. That was not happening.  
  
"Stay down!" The voice screamed again, shaking the ground once more.  
  
Eve's voice was much shriller than before. Her anger soaked through the air and the trees trembled at her show of power. Lightening arced from her finger tips and she bared her fangs. Buffy was taken aback by the power that was resonating off of Eve. This was very different from what they had seen of her before. This time she sensed nothing but pure power and evil. A new sense of fear struck the Slayer, and a quick glance over to Dean represented a similar feeling.  
  
"You killed them all! My children! They were supposed to rip you to shreds and now they're dead," Eve snarled at the pair on the ground.  
  
"And we'll keep doing it for as long as we're here," Dean returned with a similar snarl. "Good thing for you, we're leaving."  
  
"You aren't going anywhere, either of you. You are going to be trapped here forever," her voice had evened out, but her eyes still shone with a murderous glint.  
  
Buffy remembered her plan if Eve had shown up. She may want to leave, but that plan had remained the same. She would have given anything to go with Dean, but she knew that this was much more important. Buffy glanced at Dean apologetically, and before he knew what was happening, she was running directly at Eve. Her pain was temporarily forgotten as she made her way to Eve. All she had to do was distract her, hold her off, and Dean could get away. Eve just needed to focus on Buffy for a split second and Dean could escape. Buffy lunged at Eve, hoping to at very least knock her off her feet. She never expected to go soaring directly through her as if she wasn't even there.  
  
"What the hell?" She cried out as she hit the ground on the opposite side of Eve.  
  
Eve simply laughed wickedly as she turned to face the slayer. Buffy rolled over to her back, trying to catch her breath. Her eyes rolled back in pain as she fought to keep herself conscious. A distraction had been dealt, but it come with no progress.  
  
"Oh little girl. You thought it would be that easy?" Eve laughed.  
  
"You're not even really here, are you!?" Buffy croaked as she tried to bring herself to her feet.  
  
"Here enough to do this," Eve called as she motioned her arms to lift Buffy from the ground and send her flying back towards Dean as if she was nothing more than a ragdoll.  
  
Buffy landed in a crumpled heap on the ground, a scream slipping from her lips. Dean ran to where Buffy landed and helped her back to her feet. She spat out a mouthful of blood and wiped the trail of blood and spit that followed.  
  
"Why didn't you leave?" Buffy asked pushing him off of her.  
  
"We're leaving together, damnit."  
  
The two turned to face Eve, but noticed a change in her. She was no longer a large, overbearing figure floating in the sky. They could practically see straight through her now and she had lowered to the ground, listing slightly to the left. The lightning she had been commanding was now barely sparking and the ground was no longer trembling. It seemed that without full corporeal form, she had a finite source of power. She was weakened. If they were going to get away, it was now. It was nothing but luck that this opportunity had arisen, and they weren't going to waste it. They made a break for the exit, trying to reach it before Eve was able to attack again.  
  
Hands firmly clasped together, Buffy and Dean closed in on the exit. Dean could finally feel the crackling on his skin as they closed in on the portal. He gave her hand a squeeze when he was about to reach his hand through the tear in the sky. Before he could cross the threshold he felt a force pull back with incredible strength on his other hand. His shoulder barely withheld the force, and he turned to see translucent tendrils wrapped around the blonde.  
  
Behind them Eve was still barely on her feet, but she was holding on tight to the slayer. Her eyes were shooting daggers at the both of them, and it was obvious she was using every ounce of her strength left to hold onto her. Her chest was heaving as she struggled to breathe, but her hold remained tight on the blonde.  
  
"If I'm stuck here, then you will be too, Slayer," Eve's tired voice reached across the opening as she staggered towards them.  
  
"Let me go!" Buffy cried.  
  
"Let her go you bitch!" Dean added on, struggling to keep his grip.  
  
"No, you Dean! Let me go!"  
  
Dean's eyes went wide, "Not a chance, slayer."  
  
"Dean you need to go. Now. We can't beat her, but at least I can hold her off!"  
  
"I can't leave you here!"  
  
"You have to. You need to go, now. I'll be fine. You have a life to get back to. Go. Go find Sammy," Buffy struggled through her words.  
  
Tears welled in her eyes, this time she was unable to will them away like before. They were flowing down her cheeks as she felt the tendrils pulling tighter on her, squeezing the air from her. The edges of her vision started to darken and she could taste the copper in her mouth. Dean's expression matched her own now, the pain evident. She wanted to go, but now she was letting go so that he could make it. Looking over her shoulder Dean could see a countless number of monsters starting to close in on them. That was nowhere near as terrifying as the brunette standing in the middle of them all. Her eyes watching them intensely, her grip obviously not loosening from the blonde. The situation had gone from bad to worse to hopeless.  
  
"The world needs you. Dawn needs you." His eyes pleaded her.  
  
He hoped that she would hear the silent 'I need you' in his words.  
  
She looked back over her shoulder and saw the legion that was descending on them. Again the thought that she was going to die here struck her. This time it solidified that she couldn't go. She was the slayer, and she was made to protect the people. That was true in the real world, and it was true here. Sacrifice was in the slayer's nature. She looked back to Dean, his distress shining through his eyes. He recognized her decision and started shaking his head. It was as though everything was in slow motion, but that wasn't going to last forever.  
  
"Slayer! Please," Dean couldn't explain to her why he was so desperate for her to come too, but he hoped she would hear it in his voice. He needed her to hear it, needed her to understand.  
  
She smiled, "Buffy. My name. It's Buffy."  
  
She hoped that he heard the silent 'I'm sorry, and I love you' in her admission.  
  
He returned her smile as he mouthed the name she had spoken.  _Buffy._  
  
She ripped her hand from his and hit him hard in the chest, throwing him through the portal.  
  
He reached his hand out towards her, his eyes growing wide. His fingers couldn't reach hers as Buffy was pulled away from him by Eve. The exit closed in front of him immediately, separating the two warriors. He was set free and she was lost. He had lost her.  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
"Alright, bitch. Let's dance" she fumed, finally breaking free from Eve's hold on her.  
  
Buffy turned back to face the pack that was closing in on her, but her eyes focusing on their general. Both woman lunged towards one another, but the attack was cut short as the portal began to shake and roar. Before either could clear the area, the portal sucked the air in like a vacuum and then in one climactic move, set off like a bomb. The blast reached everyone and everything on the mountain plateau, scattering them like leaves in a breeze.  
  
The plateau showed every sign of what an airstrike would have looked like. The trees were flattened in a large circle around where the blast had gone off. Several different creatures had been decapitated by the explosion, and several more had been disintegrated. The bodies littered the field, completing the look of a warzone. The only ones missed were the blonde and the brunette, both who had been sent flying in the blast.  
  
Buffy was thrown back into the trees, soaring over the edge of the mountain. She flailed her arms out trying to grab onto any of the branches that she was falling through. Her broken arm proved useless, and her remaining hand was unable to grasp anything with a strong enough grip. Each branch she hit sent her in a new direction, but thankfully slowed her fall. When she finally hit the ground she was barely breathing. Buffy could feel a few ribs had been broken in the fall, and she was pretty sure her knees now bent the wrong way. She was broken, but she was alive.  
  
Her body felt completely unable to move, but she couldn't give in to that quite yet. Her eyes flew to the area around her. If this was where she was thrown then Eve or any of the other creatures could have ended up here too. There was no movement near her that she could detect, so she let herself sink into the ground. She didn't know where Eve was, and that thought was terrifying. Buffy knew that the rest of her days would be spent on the run from an ancient evil that she could never hope to defeat. One that could find her wherever she was, that could monitor her through all the eyes in this world. She couldn't even lay a hand on Eve, and yet Eve could knock her around like a rag doll.  
  
The only thought running her head was 'Now what?'  
  
 _Part of her still wished she could have gone with Dean. The last battle they faced had shown her how easy it was for her to fail here, especially alone. That was part of being the slayer, though. It was never about what she wanted. She was meant to save people. Getting out of here was everything that she wanted, but that's not how this worked. It was never how it worked._  
  
 _She was dead though, twice over. Where would she even go now? She was sent to Purgatory because she didn't make the cut to get to heaven, and apparently she didn't deserve hell. Maybe this place wasn't ideal, but it could always be worse she supposed. She'd rather deal with the devil that she knew if she had to deal at all._  
  
 _That explosion couldn't have been good. If this what it did to her, what had it done to the one that had gone through the portal? Her fear for herself was quickly replaced with her fear for Dean. She hoped that Dean made it through okay. She hoped that he made it home. That he'd find his brother. That he'd get another chance in the real world. Beyond that, she hoped he lived. That he stopped worrying so much about saving everybody else and worried about himself. That he'd finally see his worth. That he'd understand that her sacrifice was not his failure. It was his second chance. She had a sneaking suspicion that wouldn't happen, but she could dream, couldn't she?_  
  
 _Purgatory felt different now, hollower than before. It was missing something. She was missing something. He was gone. But she would learn to deal. She'd have to. If she allowed herself to wallow in a pool of self-pity it was sure to kill her. This is what she assumed the slayer was always meant to be. A lone warrior against the forces of evil, and that's how it was now. She was alone._  
  
 _He was gone, and she was alone. Again._  
  


ӁӁӁ

 

 _"Buffy!" Dean yelled. But she was gone. It was over. She was lost._  
  
Dean didn't know what was happening. A force more than just Buffy's push sent him flying back. The world around him was dark, and he couldn't find his bearings. Suddenly the force pushing him back shifted, and he felt pulled. A familiar dizzy feeling struck his head, and he was suddenly sure that it was Cas that was moving him. Dean found a comfort in the familiarity of the feeling. It was the first time since he landed in Purgatory that he had felt any comfort of home. He knew he was on his way home.  
  
Solid ground came up under his feet, and the abrupt impact knocked him down. He allowed himself to be knocked down, sprawling out on his back. It took a bit before the wind finally returned to his lungs, before he was able to catch his breath. His head had stopped swimming and he was finally able to think clearly while his eyes struggled to adjust to the brightness of the sun. The brightness told him that he had indeed succeeded. He was out of Purgatory. Dean hoped that meant he had made it home, but he was still trying to gain his bearings. He realized that he was lying in sand, a scorching breeze passing over his skin. He looked around, trying to suss out where he was. He saw no solid figures around him, just an endless sea of sand and sunlight. Suddenly there was a shadow in front of him that he needed to shield his eyes to make out.  
  
"Cas?"  
  
"Hello Dean. You made it out of Purgatory, well done."  
  
Dean breathed a sigh of relief, "So I'm home?"  
  
Dean was finally able to identify where he was, sort of anyways. He was in a desert of some sort. There was nothing but sand dunes and cacti surrounding Dean and the angel. Dean had never been here, but it was definitely home. There was no evil around him, the twisted trees and the smell of decay was gone now. He could breathe finally, for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. Dean could breathe again.  
  
Castiel nodded, "You are."  
  
"I'm sorry. God I'm so sorry. I failed at getting Buffy out. She didn't want to go and then she did, but then Eve and – "  
  
Castiel put his hand up to stop Dean from talking, "You misunderstood. She was not meant to escape as you were. The plans for her are already underway. You would have been interfering."  
  
"Why did she have to stay? What plans?"  
  
Castiel shook his head, "It does not concern you, Dean."  
  
A lump formed in his throat, "Cas? Is she…is she really dead?"  
  
"Yes, she is." Cas nodded.  
  
His head was swimming. She had told him that she was dead, but a part of him didn't believe it. Couldn't believe it. Cas confirming it was too much to process. She had sacrificed herself to save the world, and what did the world give her? It abandoned her in a world that was sure to rip her to shreds.  
  
"There's nothing I can do?"  
  
"No."  
  
Dean felt defeated. He felt like he failed. He did fail. He swore he was going to get her out of there, even if she didn't want to be saved. Then she finally did want to go. She was ready to come home and she didn't want to be left behind. If he had only held onto her hand tighter, she would be here with him. If he had run faster they could have made it through. This was his fault. He may have failed to pull her through, but he had no intention of leaving her there. Dean was going to do everything he could to save her.  
  
"Can you pull her out? Get her into heaven. That's where she belongs, Cas, not fighting those things forever. Or-or bring her here! So she can be back with Dawn."  _So she can be here with me._  
  
"I'm sorry Dean, I cannot reach her, just as I could not have reached you. Do not worry about the Slayer. She will be fine."  
  
"Buffy," he stated, shooting Cas a sharp look. "She is the slayer, but her name is Buffy."  
  
Dean ran his fingers through his hair, he didn't care what Cas said, he would find a way to get her out of there, even if he had to do it himself. Plans and destiny be damned. It didn't matter how long it took, he was going to find some way to pull her out. Cas may not be able to do anything, but the Winchester's were more powerful than any of the universe's forces seemed to understand. He was going to remind the world of that when the blonde slayer was standing by his side again.  
  
She would be saved.  
  
Right now, however, there were more important matters at hand. Dean was home. He was back in his own world, and it was time to get back to his life. There was only one thing that mattered now. Buffy had instructed him on what to do when he got home, not that she needed to. He already had every intention of doing so. There was only one thing he could focus on now.  
  
Dean looked up to Cas, a fierce look in his eyes. Cas may not be his best friend right now, but he had the information that Dean needed.  
  
"Where's Sammy?"


	16. Epilogue

**Epilogue**  
  
The roar of the Impala was in the distance now, and he knew that Sammy was confused as to what they were doing here. They had left a couple days after Cas had brought him to where Sammy was staying. The relief at seeing Sam had been immense, and it was a feeling that he could never describe. Being home was one thing, but being back with his brother was another thing entirely. This was home. He loved his brother, and he trusted him with his life, but Dean had skipped any talk of Purgatory. The entire drive had been in silence. One day he might have to explain this, but today was not that day. Mostly because he wasn't ready to explain to Sam why he felt like he needed to do this. Dean wasn't ready to explain it to himself.  
  
Dean was standing in the midst of a graveyard in Sunnydale, California, eyes desperately searching for a familiar name. Castiel had been reluctant to tell Dean where to find the Slayer's grave, but had finally ceded. Dean could have found it on his own, but the information Castiel gave him did make this much quicker. He knew she was here somewhere. If she had been looking for him, she would have been able to sense him, but he didn't have that skill. She was lost somewhere here, and Dean had to find her.  
  
He was about to think that Castiel had lied to him, that she was in another cemetery somewhere in this town when something caught his eye. There was a stone placed separate from the established rows, tucked gently underneath a draping tree. It was all alone, the sun shining directly on it like the heavens were watching it directly. It had to be her.  
  
 _It's Buffy_. Her voice played over in his head again. He couldn't shake her. He had heard her voice every night since he had been back. Sometimes he would hear her laugh. It wasn't a common sound while they fought their way through Purgatory, but when it did happen it was enough to lighten any mood. She haunted him everywhere he went. He'd think he saw her just out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned to look for her she was never there. There were times that he swore he could feel her standing next to him.  
  
He would wake up in bed some mornings expecting to be back in that place, he thought he'd find himself curled up in the leaves. He couldn't believe he was home. He couldn't cope with the fact that she wasn't. Leaving her behind felt like leaving himself behind. He had lost enough people in his life. He was still reeling from Bobby's death, and now he felt like he had to grieve another person. It was a pain that he had to carry alone.  
  
Dean looked around, in case there was a friend or family member nearby. He wasn't here for introductions, and he wasn't ready to share his grief. Seeing nobody else even in the same portion of the cemetery as he was, Dean made his way over to the secluded spot, her name becoming clearer as he got closer. The words on the stone sent a pang through his body and straight to his heart. His heart ached as he read the words.  
  
 _She saved the world. A lot._  
  
"I bet you did, sweetheart." He sighed, running his hand down over his mouth.  
  
He couldn't believe the sadness he was feeling for a person that he hadn't ever known in life. He supposed that didn't matter though. Dean had gotten to know Buffy better than he had known almost anyone else in his entire life. He saw her bare and exposed, without all those superficial things that could never tell you the truth about a person. Dean got to see beyond her body. He saw her heart. Dean knew exactly who Buffy Summers was. She was incredible and she didn't deserve to be where she was now, but there was nothing he could do. For now anyways. Dean stood there, hands in his pockets, trapped in his own head, until darkness fell.  
  
"Dean!" Sam called in the distance.  
  
Hearing his brother's voice snapped him out of it. Sam knew he was at a cemetery, and he knew that they had driven across the country for some real reason, but he wasn't ready to explain whose grave he was visiting.  
  
"I'll see you soon, Buffy. I promise. You are not going to be trapped there forever." Dean choked back a tear, "I won't leave you."  
  
Dean took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. He gave the tombstone one more look before turning to leave. He couldn't help but feel that he was, once again, walking away from her. Dean had to push himself away, finally walking back to meet up with Sam who was now standing outside of the car, searching for Dean.  
  
"You okay?" Sam asked, searching his brother's face for any hint as to what they were doing here.  
  
"Yeah, fine. We're good to go, just one more stop."  
  


ӁӁӁ

  
Dean killed the Impala's lights on a quiet corner on Revello drive. He had promised her that he would check on her sister, and so he was here. If there was any promise he was going to keep in his lifetime, it was this one. He felt guilty once again; he had been so sure he would be checking on them both in this visit. One day he would be, but until then, he needed to do this. Just a confirmation that Dawn was okay and he could go. Buffy had been right, she had stopped whatever apocalypse had almost happened, and he hadn't seen a grave accompanying hers. The only other Summers he had found was Joyce, also a solo grave. So here he was, down the street from the house that Cas told him she lived in. He didn't know what to expect at this house, but there was no way he was leaving now.  
  
"What are we doing here, Dean?"  
  
"Just checking on a family. Few minutes to make sure they're okay, and we're off."  
  
"Why don't we just knock on the door then?" Sam had learned to not question Dean about matters like this. He was hiding something, and it was something that he was not ready to share. He could wait.  
  
Dean shook his head, "this is fine. I just want to see it. With my own eyes. I don't really wanna have some 'after school special' moment here. It's just business."  
  
When the lights came on in the house, Dean got out of the car. He signalled for Sam to stay put, and quickly walked towards the house. Keeping his distance, he skirted the property, trying to get a glimpse inside the windows. Inside the kitchen he saw a group of people sitting around an island. There was a blonde girl sitting with a dark haired guy, obviously together. A red head sitting with a mousey looking girl, giggling with fingers entwined. All four were intently listening to whatever story the last girl was telling. She was young and bubbly, with dark hair and eyes. That had to be Dawn. There wasn't much by way of family resemblance, Dean had to admit. She was taller than Buffy, which served as a reminder of him and Sam, a smile playing at Dean's mouth. Even without the family resemblance he knew this had to be Dawn. She had the same smile as her sister. The same look in her eyes as she told a story. That had to be Dawn, and she was okay. They were all okay. Looked like everyone made it out of the fray.  
  
"Well well, what kinda baddie do we have here?" A voice came from the bushes.  
  
Dean spun around, gun raised. Standing in front of him Dean found a man in a long black leather duster, reminiscent of Billy Idol. This must be who Buffy was talking about, her description had been dead on. Dean had to admit, he was surprised that a vamp had kept his promise. Buffy had insisted that Dean would find Spike standing watch, and here he was.  
  
"Spike?"  
  
The use of his name startled him, "Who's askin'?" He scoffed at the gun.  
  
Dean lowered his gun, but made it obvious that it still had its safety off, "Buffy sent me. Wanted me to check on Dawn."  
  
"Unless you have a Ouija board, I highly doubt that." Spike's guard did not drop. He was eyeing Dean up, ready to defend the house if Dean made the wrong move.  
  
"She said you'd doubt it. She told me that she made you promise to look after the uh, 'little bit' I believe was the name she used. She said you were gonna forfeit your life if it meant that Dawn would live. She also gave me a heads up that you'd be here, watching. Gotta say, wasn't expecting a vamp to keep his word."  
  
Spike relaxed slightly, only the Scoobies and Buffy knew that nickname. And only Spike and Buffy knew about the promise he had made that night. Right before the battle, in her living room. He swore nothing would happen to Dawn. That conversation played over and over in his head, night after night. His failure was why Buffy wasn't here anymore. Now it was why he was camped outside of the house, every single night. He may not have saved the little bit then, but he wasn't going to let anything else happen to her. He would not let Buffy down again.  
  
Whoever this bloke was, he obviously knew Buffy somehow. He may not trust him, but Buffy obviously did. How she had reached this guy was a mystery, and he could feel a slight twinge of jealousy at the thought of her talking to him. He would give anything for even one more conversation with her.  
  
"She's fine. I've been out here every night. Buff doesn't have to worry, everyone is safe. Dawn is safe."  
  
Dean nodded, "That's all I needed to hear. I'll be on my way."  
  
"Good. How is she?"  
  
Dean gave a half smile, trying to think of something that summed Buffy up in one sweeping statement, "maddening."  
  
Spike gave a knowing nod and slipped back into the shadows, back to his patrol. He should have known that even death wouldn't stop her from checking on them. That woman would never stop, never give up. She was a fighter even in death. She was still their protector.  
  
Dean tipped his non-existent hat and headed back to the Impala.  
  
"Satisfied?" Sam asked as his brother plopped back into his seat.  
  
"Yup. Let's go."  
  
"Where to?"  
  
"Anywhere."  
  
The Impala roared to life and the brothers peeled out of Sunnydale. Dean knew he'd be back one day, and he would do everything he could to make sure it was for Buffy. There was no way he would fail her again. Dean was going to find a way to bring her back to that household.  
  
Dean was right, he would be back here, but he never would have guessed what would be waiting for him there.  
  
 _fin._


End file.
